Terror in Waves
by twinrose84
Summary: Aladdin, Jasmine, Genie and the rest of the group visit a seaside town where a sea demon terrorizes the villagers. In protecting a brother swearing vengeance, Aladdin and Genie find themselves in a fight for their lives as they uncover the mystery behind the sea demon and the town's dark history.
1. Chapter 1: The Mysterious Town By the Se

_Author's Note: This is an Aladdin story I've been working on for the past few months and it's finally in some coherent form._

 _Premise: While in flight from a diplomatic mission between desert nations, Aladdin, Jasmine and the others come across an isolated seaside town terrorized by a sea monster. One of the villagers swears vengeance against the beast for his brother's death, but in trying to protect the man, Aladdin and Genie are caught in a fight for their lives, which reveal more history about the town and the beast than they ever bargained for._

 _As usual this story is my own creation and the original characters are my property as well, but everything from the Aladdin franchise is the property of their original creators. I'm only writing this as an exercise in creativity and for fun on a franchise I love. Hope you enjoy._

 _ **Terror in Waves**_

 **Chapter 1: The Mysterious Town by the Sea**

Abu yawned and stretched out his limbs as he looked to the fading sunrise upon the horizon. Carpet held him, Aladdin, Jasmine, Genie, and Iago as they sped back to Agrabah from a diplomatic trip in another kingdom. Jasmine, Aladdin, and Genie had been named as allies for a newly established kingdom that had suffered many moons of social unrest - namely at the hands of a ruler who wasn't as just for finances as the Sultan was in Agrabah. Jasmine mentioned it would take many more for the kingdom to work out difficulties - as any newly formed kingdom would - but they were well on their way.

"Monkey, stop yawning. You know how contagious you are, especially with yawning," Iago said, just before stretching his own wings and trying to stifle a yawn. "Besides, it's not like you did anything besides eat fruit this whole trip."

Abu waved a dismissive paw. "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Aladdin and Jasmine both laughed at that. Aladdin looked over his shoulder to a sleeping Genie, who softly snored while curled up on the other end of Carpet. "Maybe you guys should take a cue from Genie, he's been sleeping the whole time since we left."

"But he's a semi-phenomenal being! He shouldn't _need_ sleep, not any more than Carpet," Iago protested.

Aladdin folded his arms across his chest. "Let me ask you this, Iago - what did _you_ do this _entire_ trip?"

Iago shrugged. "Eh, I did more than the monkey at least. I actually had to entertain the royal pet - who kept wanting to _eat me_ , and that's exhausting enough for more than a few hours of napping." At that note, Iago couldn't help but yawn. "Isn't there a place we can crash somewhere near here? Possibly an oasis or a casino city?"

Aladdin rolled his eyes. "We're not anywhere near Getzistan, Iago, so no gambling for you. But I guess you're right on one thing. We're still a ways out from Agrabah. We should find a place to settle in for the night." Aladdin covered his own mouth to stifle a yawn. Considering he'd been doing so many meet and greets with the diplomats from the rising kingdom, he'd barely had any time to get sleep. His muscles ached.

"Speak of the moon...Aladdin, look." Jasmine pointed to the west, a town by the side of a large body of water. "I don't remember an ocean being near here. Are we going the right way?"

"Only one way to find out," Aladdin said, as he pulled a map from his tunic. He traced the route he'd known Carpet to go just before the sun began to set. Sure enough, he found a seaside town at the edge of one of the oceans they flew past. "Here's where we are, and the town shows up here. It's called Gloloria. But it's strange. This town's so remote from any nearby kingdom, and there are supposed to be other towns here, but...they're gone."

Genie snorted awake at that moment, after a snore that got caught in his throat, giving him a coughing fit. "Are we at Agrabah yet?" He asked, scratching the small tuft of hair at the top of his head.

"Not yet, Genie," Jasmine said. "But even if that's the only town around this area, I'm sure they'll still take guests, right? Gloloria seems like a traveler's town, and I can see the roofs of inns and smoke coming from the chimneys. We should ask if they have any vacancies."

Aladdin nodded. "Okay, it's a plan. I think we could all use a good place to rest for the night."

* * *

Abu scrambled up Aladdin's shoulder after Carpet landed on solid ground. The sun had dipped further below the horizon, yielding to a dark sea of stars overlooking the waves that lapped at the town's shoreline. Abu "ooh"ed and "ahh"ed at the sight of the beach.

"It's so beautiful," Jasmine said, her eyes moving along the shoreline before coming upon the outskirts of the town. "The town is adorable too. I love the rustic look."

Genie used his magic to make a beach chair, umbrella, and a beach blanket appear out of thin air a fruity drink appear in his right hand. "Ahhh, this is the life. Party of one on a quiet beach, sharing drinks with my best buds. Here ya go, Al - first one's on me." He offered a drink with a blue hue and tiny pink umbrella to Aladdin.

Aladdin held up his hands, offering his blue friend a goofy grin. "Nah thanks, Genie. I'm good." His smile faded as he looked around the town. "But it is strange. I wonder why there aren't more people on the beach. The weather's nice, breezy but not too cold."

Jasmine considered Aladdin's words, even as Iago flew to perch on her left shoulder. "Yes, it does seem odd. I don't know. Maybe they have an early village curfew."

Iago made a disapproving face. "Bleh, not my kind of town. I'd like a city that never sleeps, thanks."

"Are you guys travelers?" A voice startled all of the group, just before a small girl ran up to them, her hands clasped behind her back. Jasmine leaned down, grinning at the girl who looked up with eager hazel eyes.

"Why yes, we were wondering if there was a place to stay in your village for the evening," Jasmine said.

Before the girl could respond, an angry parent (possibly her father from what Aladdin could tell) shouted for her to come back inside. "Miza, I told you before that you aren't allowed to talk to strangers or to be outside of the house after evening. Get back here _now_!"

Miza's expression fell, but she didn't hesitate to give a small wave before she ran back to her home. Jasmine started to say something to the man in the doorway, but he slammed the door shut just as soon as he'd opened it.

Aladdin's brows narrowed. "That was rude. She was just trying to talk to us. At least she was friendly."

Jasmine sighed. "He was probably worried. Some parents are protective, and they have every right to be." She bumped her hip against Aladdin's. "I bet you would be protective if we had any children like that."

Aladdin's face quickly turned crimson in the fading sunlight and he found himself struggling for words. "I...well...I guess..."

Jasmine waved the comment away, her lips forming into a half smile. "Something to consider for the future. For now, let's see if we can find another person to talk to about accommodations."

But at every door the group tried to knock at, either they were met with silence or a person that would open the door only to close it just as quickly. Some were polite refusals, saying they were offering no vacancies. Others were blunt utterances of "Go away" or "We don't want you here."

But one utterance that baffled Aladdin was from a young woman with long brown hair and green eyes, saying they should get out of town while they still could. Aladdin intended to ask her what she meant, but she quickly said she'd said too much before shutting the door.

Genie exhaled slowly, even his usual jovialness deflated. "I'm sensing deja-vu for all the places we've been in this town so far. They _really_ don't want us here. What do they think, we're serial killers? I mean, I wear a clown mask from time to time, but I promise I'm harmless." He transformed into a clown with big floppy shoes, a jovial mask and balloons in one hand, which Iago quickly popped with his claws. The move made Genie give the bird a side eye.

Aladdin shook his head. "Nah, Genie. I think it's something else. They're definitely scared of something, though."

"Of what though? Like Genie said, it's not like any one of us would harm anyone. And this town is definitely built to accommodate travelers," Jasmine said.

"Yeah, but think about it, Jasmine," Aladdin continued. "The map I have says there should be two to three other towns around this area - but this is the only town for miles before hitting the desert again. I wonder if something happened here."

"Something to make them suspicious about taking on new travelers for boarding?" Genie asked.

Aladdin nodded. "Yeah. Question is what and when."

"And why?" Jasmine asked. "You're right, Aladdin. Maybe we should just move along and go back to Agrabah, even if it'll be late when we return. Father might be sleeping by the time we get home."

Aladdin started to agree, before seeing that Abu had curled around his neck and was completely sound asleep. He sighed, a small smile ticking up the corner of his lip as he stroked the fur on Abu's back. "Maybe we should try again, just one more time. Someone's bound to take us in."

"I could accommodate you strangers for the night," a voice came a fair distance from where they stood. Aladdin saw a small elderly woman with curly grey hair and a warm expression as she beckoned them to come into her moderately sized home. "It may be a little tight, but I can certainly make the beds up for you."

"That's very kind, thank you!" Jasmine said. Aladdin followed beside her as she walked to the open door, with Iago and Carpet flying behind and Genie being the last one in.

* * *

"Oooh, you're both a prince and princess, are you? You two are just darling together! And you have a cute monkey, a flying carpet, and a parrot with brilliant feathers," the elderly woman said. "And your friend here is a Genie, you say? He's _so adorable_." The woman reached up to Genie's face, pinching his cheeks and stretching his face like a rubberband. Aladdin couldn't help but laugh at her keen admiration.

"Yes, ma'am," Aladdin said. "We're just passing through before heading back to Agrabah."

The woman turned back to Aladdin and Jasmine as Genie tried to shape his overstretched face back to normal. "I apologize for the way you've been treated. You see, we used to be a much busier town before everyone moved away. I suppose we're not used to getting visitors here anymore. You reach Gloloria and there's nothing but desert after for long stretches. I suppose it's good for not having competition, but..." She sighed softly. "It certainly gets lonely around these parts now."

Jasmine gave Aladdin an equally concerned look, before turning to the woman. "Is there a reason why everyone moved away?"

The elderly woman sighed again. "I suppose since no one else has bothered to tell you, the task is left to me. I will be honest with you. My name is Tani - I've lived in this town my entire life. And if you knew what _I knew_ , you would not want to stay here, not even for a night. I'm far too old to pack up my things and move away to travel by desert - so I must stay here, even if this is the place where I might eventually die."

Aladdin looked alarmed. " _Die?_ Please don't say that, ma'am."

"Oh no, _no_ , dear. It's not what you're thinking I don't say that because I'm in ill health. I'm a _feisty_ gal. I don't get sick in the first, not even for the smallest cold." Tani clicked her tongue. She took a seat in a nearby chair, lighting a few lamps with candles to further illuminate the room as night darkened the sky outside. "No, what I might die from is the same peril that anyone in this village could die from. Tall or little, old or young, native or traveler. Even one or all of the lot of you."

Jasmine's eyes widened. " _Us?_ What would kill us?"

Tani closed her eyes momentarily, bracing herself as she reopened them with a somber expression. "The same thing that prevents us from going outside as normal villagers would do in such nice weather. Let me tell you about the demon that lurks _our_ beach."


	2. Chapter 2: Truth & Nothing But Sea Demon

**Chapter 2: The Whole Truth and Nothing but a Sea Demon**

Tani began her story with all the flare of an accustomed storyteller, allowing Aladdin, Jasmine, Genie, Iago and Carpet to lean forward to hear more about the horrible revelation she handed down to them.

"I don't think I've known of a time when the demon didn't lurk our beaches, but it used to come much less frequently than now. I remember the first time I saw it. The creature had long loose limbs like a octopus - spikes along the length and sharp teeth at the end of every limb. It had a sunken face, but you could see its bulging eyes and mouth of razor teeth much like the ones on his limbs. It attacked like a scorpion and willingly decided how best to kill its prey. It would choose to crush your bones, rake its spikes across your body to make blood spill like ribbons down your body. Or if you're lucky, it'll decide to swallow you whole, instead of making you feel every crunch of its teeth."

Iago flinched at every graphic demise that Tani described. Abu woke with a start, but his ears perked up when he realized the group was listening to a long tale.

"I remember the demon attacked our village around the time I was five years old. Some of my childhood friends died in that slaughter." She wiped a few tears from her eyes at the memory. "But after that, it didn't appear for many years. I used to think the incident was just a bad dream, but my parents would remind me of my fallen friends and family. I was not allowed to walk the beaches unaccompanied - no one was. It wasn't until I was much older when the demon came back. The time between its returns grew smaller and smaller. The demon would decimate our houses, businesses. The damage became too much and many of our neighbors - including those in other towns - fled for a better life. I once had a husband and two sons. My husband died too soon, not at the hand of the demon itself but by stresses caused by its destruction. I also lost one son five years ago - his name was Ezele. He was such a gentle soul - unlike his fire tempered brother Arzin. The two complimented each other - were the best of friends. Ezele was two years older than Arzin and they never minded the age difference. One could almost say they got along like twins."

She smiled at the latter memory, but it faded as quickly as it came. "Oh it was a terrible day - the demon came and I watched as Ezele defended his family. He was picked up by the demon's clutches. I heard the sickening crack of his bones just before the creature carried him out to sea. He left behind a beautiful wife and the young daughter you met outside earlier today - Miza."

Jasmine's eyes widened. "Miza's your granddaughter? But who was the man with her if it wasn't her father?"

Tani nodded. "Arzin - he has since become her adoptive father. He's sworn vengeance against the creature ever since Ezele was killed. But each time the demon returns, the demon slaughters several more of our people before crawling back into the sea. I fear that one of these days the demon will get Arzin too. Arzin says he would rather die than run away in fear from his home. I understand in part - I would love for the demon to be defeated. However..." Her voice trailed off, weariness heavy in her voice.

Aladdin opened his mouth to speak, but Iago covered his mouth with a wing, glaring hard at Aladdin. The parrot wasn't one to mince words under his breath.

"Al, if the next few words out of your mouth are 'Can we help?' I'm gonna stop you before you even start. We don't have _time_ to be playin' hero while tangling with a _dangerous sea demon! Not to mention_ all the possible ways Tani says we could kick the bucket."

But both Iago and Aladdin were surprised when Jasmine spoke up for the cause. "Maybe we can help. It would be the least we can do to repay your hospitality."

Genie saluted. "Of course. And Al has a long history of slaying powerful sorcerers, imps, serpents, and demon monsters. Right, Al?"

Aladdin laughed, his voice slightly cracking with nerves. His hand rubbed the back of his neck. "That _might_ be overselling it a little...but Genie's right. I don't see why we couldn't help you."

A piercing, inhuman scream that cut through the night air outside brought their conversation to an abrupt halt.

"I can definitely _hear_ the reason why we shouldn't help them," Iago said, his feathers ruffling up his spine.

Through one of the hut's windows, Aladdin could see a large shape moving along the length of the beach's shoreline. He rose to his feet, moving to the window for a closer look. Everyone followed him to watch the creature's limbs unfurl like a flower's petals under the light of the full moon. The scales of the demon were slick with water and sand. As Tani had described, the body of the sea demon was covered with spines along the limbs, sharp sets of teeth at the end of each. Aladdin almost couldn't see the creature's eyes open because of how dark they were, but the way they blinked against the light of the moon made it clearer to see where its lids began and ended.

When the creature opened its wide mouth to scream against the night air, Jasmine nearly fell back at the sight of its sharp jaws. Aladdin steadied her, his arms circling her waist and pulling Jasmine to him as she trembled. Abu's teeth chattered, the loudest sound among the group as the demon's cry died down. Even Iago, usually the loudest voice among them, fell silent.

Genie exhaled slowly. "Soooo, I'm willing to take bets that demon's about as tall as one of the pillars on Agrabah's palace. And he doesn't seem like he's moving that fast from the look of it..."

"Don't let appearances fool you, my magical friend," Tana said quickly. "It moves very quickly in the water and slows on land, but when it lashes out to attack prey in any capacity, it's quicker than a cobra sinking its fangs into skin. You would all do well to carefully consider how you want to attack it. It's certainly not a creature to underestimate."

"We definitely need a plan," Aladdin agreed. "If there isn't a way to defeat it completely, maybe we can drive it away - keep it from hurting anyone this time around."

"Uh, ya might wanna speed it up on that plan, 'cause for whatever reason - _some idiots_ decided they wanna tangle with that thing," Iago said, pointing in the direction of a group of townsmen approaching from the east with torches and swords. "Good luck with that one. Let's see how long they last."

"Iago!" Jasmine scolded, but she stopped short when she saw the look of horror on the elderly woman's face.

"One of those idiots just so happens to be my son!" Tani said.

Iago winced, thinking Tani would have more than a few words to battle with him. "No offense intended. His mom seems like a real winner to me. Never better."

"No, I'm not offended, bird - I'm _agreeing_ with you that he's an _idiot_. But I don't want to see him killed."

Iago wiped his forehead with the back of his wing, thinking he'd dodged a bullet and that Tani was a much more interesting person than he expected her to be. "Point taken."

"Is there anything that you have that we can use as weapons, Tani?" Aladdin asked. "Swords, torches...anything?"

Tani considered. "I have something for you. You're about the same height as my eldest son would've been." She pulled out a large wooden box, blowing dust from it before opening the lid and removing a long, silver blade sword with a dark blue hilt. "This will have to do. I hope you can use it well.

"I can think of a few ways to use this thing, but we have to act fast." Aladdin said as he tested the sword in his hand, swinging and thrusting to see how light it would be to fight with. It didn't feel too heavy or long, just right to fight with, but Aladdin wasn't sure how that would fare given the beast's speed. He figured he'd have to improvise. "Jasmine, if there's any way you can stop the men from approaching it - that would help prevent them from getting hurt."

Jasmine nodded. "They seem stubborn, but I think I can do it. Does that mean you guys are going to fight it?"

"Yeah, Genie, Carpet and I will try to drive it back out to sea."

Abu screeched wearily, but Aladdin ruffled the fur along the monkey's back in comfort. "I'd rather you and Iago stay here with Tana."

Tana shook her head. "I refuse to stay here. Though I won't tangle with that beast, I'd like to warn the other townspeople to stay inside for the time being. These two are certainly worth helping me without having to lift much of a paw...or a wing."

Iago didn't seem too pleased by that suggestion. "Guess if I'm gonna have to do something, better to do it away from immediate death. Good luck guys!"

Genie, Aladdin and Carpet looked between each other, before sharing a collective groan.

* * *

Jasmine didn't expect her task to be easy, but it was equally intimidating being the only woman in a crowd of angry men with pitchforks and swords. But as she looked at the beach's coastline where the creature crept, a chill ran down her spine.

 _I'd rather face off these men anyday versus seeing them killed by the likes of that demon_ , she thought. I hope Aladdin, Genie and Carpet can drive it out to sea. It looks far too dangerous for anyone to cross.

The men were caught off guard by Jasmine's sudden presence before them. She wasn't sure if it was her regal presence that halted them or her keeping them from their task at hand. She held her arms open wide, standing in front of their leader, whom Jasmine recognized as Arzin. His eyes were dark in the moonlight, and his thick locks of hair cascaded over his shoulders. He had a scruffy beard, not neatly trimmed. It was the look of a tired, angry man who had vengeance on his mind. His men were a mix of young and old, but many of them didn't carry the look of sheer anger that Arzin did. Some were terrified trying to put on a brave face, others were more eager for loyalty sake. Many of them lowered their weapons at the sight of Jasmine.

"Who is this lovely creature keeping us at bay?" one of the men said with a soft chuckle.

Jasmine was not amused. She took a steady breath, keeping her mind focused on the task at hand. "Stand down, men. This isn't a creature that you want to fight."

Arzin laughed, but his voice had no humor. "And who do you suppose you might be, you fancy wench?"

Jasmine was not expecting Arzin's bluntness nor his cruelty, which fed her anger. "I'm Princess Jasmine of Agrabah, a guest of your town. And I'm commanding you to stand down."

This shocked most of the men to silence at first, before they whispered low amongst themselves. Among their chatter, the most common phrases were "She's a princess?", "How did she come to be in our humble village?", and "She's brave to stand up to a man like Arzin."

Arzin's expression didn't change. "You were among the group of visitors earlier talking to Miza. Forgive me, _Princess_ ," his voice emphasized Jasmine's title, but held no remorse or respect. He all but spat the words to her. "But this is neither your kingdom, nor your fight. Step aside, and let us handle this threat to our village our way. I don't even know why you would foolishly decide to impede us. You know nothing of the horrors we've suffered from..."

One of the men suddenly shouted, pointing to the sky. "Look at that! A magic Carpet? There's a man riding towards the creature on it!"

Another man pointed a distance behind the other man. "And look, someone's following him. Is that...a Genie?"

Jasmine was happy for the distraction. She smiled casually. "The man on the magic carpet is my husband, Aladdin. And yes, that is a Genie, and he's our friend. Now, if you leave the demon slaying to those two, you can get back to your families and take up the important task of _protecting them_."

Arzin's expression turned to a sneer. "What could that mere boy possibly do that we men cannot?"

Jasmine's stomach turned with nerves - both at the impending danger Aladdin, Genie and Carpet faced but also with the possibility that the encounter could go horribly wrong. But her expression didn't change from the infectious confidence that she'd observed Aladdin had many times when he had his mind put to something. "Watch and learn."

 _Good luck, guys,_ she thought.


	3. Chapter 3: Unchosen Battles

**Chapter 3: Unchosen Battles**

Aladdin felt the wind whip against his tunic as he flew through the air towards the sea demon. The sword Tani had given him was in a sheath strapped to his back. He knew Genie wasn't too far behind, but he couldn't shake the tension that ran down his spine. The sea demon looked dangerous enough, and Tani had warned him of some of the creature's strengths, but would the plan they created be enough to drive it away? He wasn't sure, and the uncertainty made him ill with unease.

"Slow up a little, Carpet. Let Genie catch up with us. I hope this plan works," he said softly. "At least until we figure out a little more about how to defeat it."

Carpet gave a small salute with one of his knobs. Genie caught up speed, flying a tiny plane that was too small for his big body, despite wearing everything an aviator would wear.

Aladdin grinned. "Ready, Genie?"

Genie gave Aladdin a grand salute of his own. "Ready to go, kid. Cannonball!" Genie stood on tip toes, balancing himself on the tips of the tiny plane before swan diving off of it towards the sea demon below. As he did so, his body split into several copies of himself, all saying "Cannonball!" at the exact same time.

The reaction from the sea demon was immediate. Several of its limbs shot up at lightning speed, jaws clamping down on Genie's duplicates. A chorus of "Oww"s resounded from Genie's duplicates before they started disappearing in rapid succession.

The real Genie, who reappeared by Aladdin's side in mid-air, wiped a small drop of sweat from over his brow as he huffed and puffed. "He's fast, kid. Plus, those teeth are way, way sharper than Rajah's. Here I thought our tiger friend had a mean bite before supper."

Aladdin had seen the creature's reactions for himself, shaking his head in disbelief. "I've never seen a demon move that fast or reach that far from standing in one place. Looks like we can't attack it head on. Genie, I have another plan, but I need to get close enough to it to count. Particularly towards its face." He whispered the plan in Genie's ear, as the semi-phenomenal being nodded in understanding at every word.

Genie sighed after Aladdin finished. "Improbable plan, but not impossible, O Princely one. I'll do my best." Genie did a quick salute, leaving Aladdin's side with a determined expression as he multiplied himself again, diving at all kinds of angles towards the creature.

The sea demon roared, attempting to chase Genie with its limber arms of spikes and teeth. But Aladdin noticed that part of the plan was working. Genie was ducking and dodging the limbs so that they were becoming tangled up in each other. The demon didn't seem to notice this since its focus was squarely on Genie.

"Now's our chance, Carpet, give it all you got!" Aladdin said. Carpet sped through the clouds, down to where the sea demon lunged after Genie with all of its limbs. It didn't see Aladdin, who had unsheathed the sword from his back, until the very last moment. It roared again, trying to use some of its limbs to counter Aladdin's advance, but not fast enough.

Aladdin took the point of the sword and raked it across one of the demon's large eyes. The creature howled in pain, it's black blood oozing over the wounded eye. It furiously reached two of its free, rubbery yet slimy limbs towards Aladdin. One set of the teeth tore through the cape of Aladdin's tunic, while the other set came too close to chomping down on part of Aladdin's hair. The prince winced at the close call, while Carpet moved at very sharp angles to avoid the attacks. Using his sword arm, Aladdin was able to cut through some of the extending limbs of the creature reaching toward them. The limbs grew back, they were tangled up due to Genie's distractions to tangle them.

"Carpet, not so much on the turns, you're gonna... _Ahhh!_ " Aladdin yelled as one of the sharp maneuvers made him lose his balance. He not only lost the grip on his sword, but he also lost his grip on Carpet, throwing him off at a very high speed. Aladdin hit the ground hard, his right arm taking the blunt of the fall, before he rolled and lay motionless upon one of the sand dunes. His sword spun across the sands, but landed not far from where he lay.

Genie didn't see Aladdin fall from Carpet. His attention was centered on the retreating sea demon. It slithered away towards the coastline and disappeared beneath the waves in a quick motion, leaving not much of a ripple over the normal crest and fall of the waves lapping against the shore.

"Geez, that was close. At least your plan worked, though, right Al?" Genie looked for confirmation, but Carpet was pointing furiously to the west, where Jasmine and a group of the men were rushing towards where Aladdin lay on the sands.

" _Aladdin!_ Aladdin, are you okay?" Jasmine said, reaching Aladdin's side before anyone else.

Aladdin groaned, sitting up while cradling his bruised arm. "I'm fine. That was a hard landing, but I think I'd prefer that over getting bitten by that sea demon any day. Could've been a lot worse."

The men, aside from Arzin, crowded around Aladdin as he rose to his feet. Jasmine ran her fingers through the hair just over Aladdin's brow, brushing away bits of sand.

"I don't believe it - this kid actually drove the demon back to the sea," one of the men said, giving Aladdin a hard slap on the back. Aladdin grinned a bit too wide - the gesture wasn't exactly kind to his throbbing arm, but he didn't want to be rude.

"None of us were able to do that with the demon before. You and your Genie friend are very powerful. We owe you our lives." Another villager said. "The truth was as your Princess told us."

Aladdin put his stronger arm around Jasmine, enveloping her in a half-embrace while touching his forehead to hers. "What can I say - my wife is one of the most convincing people I know."

The men were joyously congratulating Aladdin and Genie, their banter carrying high and long through the night air. Jasmine looked over her shoulder briefly as the group moved towards a restaurant in the cluster of the town's residences. But even as she saw Arzin's look towards Aladdin - it wasn't one of gratitude or resignation.

To her shock, it was one of murderous rage.

* * *

Iago ate from a goblet of grapes at their respective table in the restaurant. "Ya know, this place ain't too shabby. _Sans_ sea demon, I could get used to this kinda treatment."

Jasmine plucked a grape from Iago's wing just before he plopped it into his mouth. She sat next to him across the bar near the front of the restaurant. "The reason we're getting this kind treatment is because of what Aladdin, Carpet, and Genie did to drive the sea demon away. At least be thankful for that, Iago."

Iago frowned, but quickly recovered as he plucked five more grapes and stuffed them into his beak. " _Of course_ I'm thankful! I'm _eatin' my fair share_ here."

Jasmine smiled as she looked past the bar into the small kitchen where Genie and Carpet were helping the cooks in the kitchen serve food and guests. It appeared that everyone residing in the tiny town came to celebrate. Children were dancing and playing with each other in one corner of the restaurant, while some of the adults were playing music and dancing. Jasmine wondered if this was typical of the town's behavior when it used to be much more populated - a traveler's destination. It saddened her to think of what became of it with the demon's presence.

"Still," she thought aloud. "It worries me what might happen if that sea demon comes back anytime soon. Aladdin might've wounded it, but how quick do you think it would recover from that?"

Iago shrugged. "The kid took the demon's eye out...I'm thinking it's not going to be as bad as it was when it had two eyes. Still, maybe Al taking the eye out of that thing means the people here can handle it from now on. No more demon huntin' for us, right?"

Jasmine wasn't convinced. "Where _is_ Aladdin right now?"

Iago gave her a side-eye glance. " _Really?_ You're worried about your husband doin' his _victory lap_? He's with the monkey - _he's fine_."

"That's not what I mean. I'm not worried over that as much as...never mind." Jasmine sighed, raking her fingers through the end of her ponytail.

Genie popped up beside Jasmine and Iago, taking a seat at the table where they sat. "Why the long face, Jas? It's a _celebration!_ Food and merry company!"

"...I'm worried about Aladdin, Genie. I have a feeling something horrible's going to happen, and I don't know where he went."

Genie transformed into a grade school kid raising his hand in class from behind a desk. "Oooh, pick me, pick me! I can go outside and check on him!"

Jasmine sighed, smiling a little. "If you could find him and let me know he's okay, that'd be fine."

Genie transformed back into his usual self, and rang a small bell, which summoned Carpet. "Rug Man, you're in charge of the kitchen until I get back. No threads in the soup, got it?"

* * *

Aladdin and Abu walked through the streets of the nearly empty town. Aladdin could see that many of the residents had come out to the restaurant to celebrate their victory against the sea demon, however small it had been. Many had come to hug him, shake his hand, take photos (courtesy of Genie's camera - though all of them thought it was an odd contraption). With all the attention, Aladdin knew he needed some breathing space, so he decided to leave the restaurant and return after he had a chance to focus.

"I'm just surprised you decided to come out here with me, Abu. I thought you were supposed to be taking Iago on in an eating contest?" Aladdin teased Abu as the monkey perched on his shoulder.

Abu whistled casually, then mimed stuffing several bananas in his mouth, which made Aladdin laugh.

"Ha! I bet you could beat Iago in a banana eating contest - lickety split. I ate a few things earlier, but I'm so full I probably couldn't stuff that much down myself."

Abu screeched a few more words before miming other foods he could stuff down easily, but Aladdin stopped walking mid step, his humor ceding quick to one of caution. Such made the monkey stop - his paw stopping short of his mouth.

"Aladdin?" he screeched, confused.

"We're being followed, Abu," Aladdin said in a low whisper. "And I don't think it's from someone who wants to be friendly with us."

"Monster?" Abu asked.

"No, it's not the creature from the beach. Someone else."

The voice that responded aloud sounded like it hovered between buildings, making it hard to tell the direction it was coming from. It made Aladdin's back stiffen. "You're better than I expected, Prince of Agrabah. But not nearly good enough. You at least are able to tell my stealth better than many of the other villagers here - but you still didn't pick up that I've been following you since you left the restaurant."

"Who are you?" Aladdin said. "Show yourself!"

"With pleasure." Aladdin almost had no time to react when hands suddenly grabbed him and shoved him hard into the wall. Abu fell from Aladdin's shoulder, screeching and hitting the ground hard, while Aladdin nearly fell himself, grunting and hitting part of his bruised arm against the wall. It didn't fare much better as the man who attacked him grabbed and squeezed his bruised arm.

Aladdin realized he was doing it on purpose, that he'd known that Aladdin had been injured. The prince tried to wrestle out of his grip, but the man holding him was strong. Aladdin recognized the figure as he looked up into the man's furious expression.

"Arzin, right? You're Tani's son." Aladdin said from between clenched teeth.

"You may speak my mother's name with some familiarity, but you don't know me at all, royal trash."

That made Aladdin's brows shoot up in surprise. "Royal trash? What's with you?"

Arzin shoved Aladdin's back hard into the side of the building again, but even as Aladdin recovered from a rough initial exchange, he was at least glad the man let him go. Abu managed to recover and scrambled back up to Aladdin's shoulder. He started screeching at Arzin, but Aladdin placed a hand on Abu's back, mouthing "Easy" as the two of them cautiously eyed Arzin. Aladdin didn't want to fight, but he mentally prepared himself for the possibility of Arzin coming at him again. He didn't want to be caught off guard in case the man had plans to hurt him or Abu.

Arzin paced back and forth, his eyes surveying Aladdin from head to toe. "As I thought, not even so much as a scar on your body. Must be nice to grow up in a palace with a golden spoon in your mouth. Not know the first thing about what it really means to fight for your life."

Abu and Aladdin shared a mutual expression of initial confusion. Abu screeched a few words that Arzin didn't understand, but Aladdin nodded, his expression firm. "Yeah, you're right Abu. I don't think he knows us that well. Not well at all."

"What could you _possibly_ know? I don't have to hear your life story to know and see that you know _nothing_ about suffering!" Arzin snapped. Aladdin wasn't certain where the man's anger came from, but he wasn't happy about being in the center of it. It had such force that Aladdin wasn't sure whether to be surprised or alarmed by it. "Your only contribution in that fight against the demon earlier was by matter of _sheer luck_. You had a magic Genie and you had a magic Carpet. You attacked that monster without even so much as an open wound after. You were only bruised after you fell off that flying rug."

 _So that's what this is about,_ Aladdin mused. Arzin wasn't really that much older than Aladdin, but could the man be that...assuming? The prince held up his hands, trying to reason with the man taken so full of rage that he looked like he could explode at any moment. His voice was calm, but firm. "Look, Arzin, I don't know what you _think_ you know about my life, my friends, and my battles, but you're wrong - about all of it. I grew up on the streets of Agrabah, I had to steal food when I was younger - _to eat_. And even before and after I married Jasmine - I fought against people and creatures that would give many men nightmares. So don't assume that you know anything about me when you haven't even _made the attempt_ to ask."

Abu whistled in approval of Aladdin's end of the argument, probably would've even applauded with his paws if the man in front of them wasn't so menacing.

Arzin seemed surprised, but Aladdin saw the man's expression darken just as quickly back into the rage he'd held from before. His laugh was brief, but held no humor. "Hmm. So you _married_ a princess? Here I was thinking that she was the wench."

Aladdin's anger boiled. "Don't you _dare_ call her that!"

"What are you going to do? Fight me over her honor? Are you sure you can without your magical friends being here? Or are you going to sic your pet monkey to fight for you?"

Abu wasn't all too happy about that statement. "Why you..." The monkey readied himself to fight, but Aladdin shook his head, which made Abu think twice.

Aladdin turned his attention back to Arzin. "Abu's my friend, not my pet. And I would not ask him to fight the likes of you just to prove a point. I'm not that kind of person."

"As a person, you don't seem worth much from what I see, whether you're from rags or riches. Who exactly is the man called 'Aladdin' anyway? A hero with a fancy name?" Arzin sneered. "If you didn't have a princess or a Genie, a flying carpet or monkey friend, that monster could've easily ripped out your heart and no one would think twice about the body left behind. You're only alive because of dumb luck, and I have a feeling it'll run out soon enough. It's gonna come back for you, and your friends won't be able to cover you then. Your action might've even sealed their deaths and everyone else in town - how _selfish_."

Abu was ready for Aladdin to give the signal to attack the horrible man for his words, but that moment never came as Aladdin stared at him with part horror and part anguish. Arzin's words had hit a nerve. "Why would you say that?"

Arzin moved so close to Aladdin that the prince could feel his breath stir hot against his neck in the night air. "It came for my brother after my brother injured it. And now he's dead because of his actions. Maybe you should get out of town before it comes back, if you value your life."

Aladdin snapped out of his shock quickly, like a rubberband stretched too far before popping. "I'm not running away from this just because you tell me to."

Arzin clicked his tongue. "Stubborn, are you? You stepped into a fight you have no idea how to handle, _Prince_." Arzin's emphasis on Aladdin's title had the same mocking tone as a person would take when throwing an insult. "Just remember that you aren't my responsibility, and you're in my way. I won't let your actions be the downfall of our town. And also," he stabbed a finger into Aladdin's chest. "Stay away from _my_ family. All of them. If any of your so-called heroics leads to their harm, I won't wait for the demon to kill you - I'll kill you _myself_."

Arzin moved away, walking past the cluster of buildings before disappearing into the night.

Abu exhaled slowly, curling his tail around Aladdin's neck. "Aladdin okay?"

Aladdin nodded, his hand instinctively covering the bruise on his arm. His voice was quiet. "Yeah. I'm good, Abu." But even Abu saw that Aladdin had been put at odds by the exchange.

Genie appeared as a coffee cup beside Aladdin, startling him and Abu alike. "I see that you're both shaken but not stirred. Arzin doesn't seem to like us very much, does he?" He transformed quickly back into his usual self. "Still - the nerve of that guy. Not even as much of a thank you for fighting that demon. We prevented any of his men from getting hurt or killed and that's his thanks?"

"You heard all of that, Genie?" Aladdin asked.

Genie shook his head. "I arrived about halfway through. I thought he was going to hurt you two, but I would've stepped in if he tried. Looks like he was just blowing off a lot of hot air." He transformed into a cheerleader with large pink pompoms, a blonde curly wig, and a outfit that had a pink tutu and a shirt that read "Aladdin's the TRUE hero". "Al, Al, he's no _fool!_ Even in the biggest arguments, he keeps his _cool!_ _YAY!_ "

Aladdin smiled a little, tugging on one of Genie's blonde curls to transform the semi-phenomenal being back to his regular self. "Thanks Genie. But...as much as I think Arzin's resentment is messed up, he also had a point."

Abu and Genie looked at Aladdin in disbelief, their jaws dropping (though Genie's jaw dropped as far as the ground before it recoiled back into place like a slinky toy. "You serious? What in all of that do you think he had a point for?" Genie asked.

Aladdin's gaze went towards the ground, his brows narrowed. "I think we might've brought more trouble to Gloloria than they were in to begin with."


	4. Chapter 4: Deathseeker

**Chapter 4: Deathseeker**

"Whad'ya mean we're stayin' here for another few days?!" Iago shouted as the group settled down in Tani's cabin.

Jasmine ignored the parrot as she looked at Aladdin, concern etching her expression. "You're okay with that? Father's expecting us and we're going to miss the reception we're supposed to attend the day after tomorrow. Of course, I don't think Father would mind that much if we sent a message his way."

"I don't think we have much of a choice, Jasmine." Aladdin rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "I was thinking about it from earlier tonight and I'd feel better making sure that demon doesn't attack the town again. After all, Genie, Carpet and I did attack it head on - it's looking for a reason to retaliate."

Jasmine sighed. "I wouldn't say it like that - you, Genie and Carpet did a great thing. It would've killed several of those men if you hadn't - Arzin included." She glanced over to where Genie, Iago, Abu, and Carpet were already sound asleep.

Aladdin's brow narrowed. "Seems like Arzin wasn't all too grateful at us interfering though."

Tani came into the room at that moment, carrying a few blankets and throw pillows. "Oh ignore my stubborn son. He has quite the temper. I don't blame him for the reason behind his anger, but it makes him reckless and rude. He needs to learn to deal with it in more useful ways." Tani turned to Aladdin, her expression one of concern. "He didn't hurt you, did he, dear?"

Aladdin's back stiffened at the memory of his encounter with Arzin earlier that evening. He felt he couldn't tell her the whole truth, so Aladdin settled for part of it. "No, ma'am, but I get the feeling he doesn't want us around town much longer."

Tani waved her hand dismissively. "He may not want you around town, but you are my guests and I will treat you as such. You may stay in my home for as many days as you need to. Or if you wish for your own space over the next few days, I can have a few of the men set one of the cabins up for you. Arzin may not like it, but ultimately he'll have to answer to me. If he gives you any trouble, let me know. I'll have a good word with him."

Jasmine breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you Tani. You're so kind to us."

Tani smiled. "Now, now. You all had a long journey alongside all the effort you've put in to help our town. Get some rest, you two. We'll talk more tomorrow."

* * *

Arzin had put his niece Miza to bed earlier that evening, but he remained awake, staring out to the ocean's shoreline from the front window of his hut. The full moon hung low in the sky, bright over the shimmering waters. He was too angry to sleep. How dare that group of wealthy outsiders - who knew nothing about the horrors and pains suffered by his village - change the status quo when it came to dealing with their sea demon? The thought plagued him. True that Aladdin, Genie, and the Magic Carpet's efforts did weaken the demon, but that would mean the creature would be more angry when it returned to the surface. He had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach that it might return within two days - if not sooner.

He'd have to prepare taking his vengeance much sooner than he planned. Yet a thought occurred to him: Aladdin and the group didn't want the townspeople to sacrifice themselves; they also wanted to be involved in the fight against the creature. A smile crept up his features. If they were so willing to be involved, wouldn't they make willing sacrifices? He'd observed each of them among the group: the prince, princess, Genie, magic carpet, bird and monkey. He saw his opportunity to lure two of them into the path of the sea demon. It would be a true test for Aladdin to save his friends without luck on his side, he reasoned. It would give him a chance to kill the demon once and for all. The action would not only save his village and avenge his dead brother, but it would prove that Aladdin and his lot had no business in their town - that Aladdin was no "true" hero.

Arzin decided he'd enact his plan first thing in the morning.

* * *

 _He wasn't sure how he'd gotten beneath the water, but he realized quickly that he was overdue to get air. Bubbles sputtered out of his nose and mouth, but he managed to keep most of his breath held. His hands and arms propelled him upward. The light from the moon shining down into the dark waters served as his guide to the surface. Yet no matter how far he swam, it appeared that the surface reached further from his grasp. Would he make it in time? Would it come back for him?_

 _It didn't occur to him that something was chasing him until that moment - an inhumane sound roaring from beneath his feet. He was afraid to look back, afraid of what might be nipping at his heels, just out of reach to grab him and pull him further beneath the waves._

 _What are you? he thought. It answered his thoughts almost immediately: I am known by many names, but humans know me by one name: Deathseeker._

 _His hesitation cost him as the sleek, black arms with sharp spines reached upward, wrapping around his legs, his stomach, chest. Sharp teeth sank into his flesh. He screamed from the pain, but the silence of the ocean drowned him out in a sea of bubbles, mixed with steady, branching streams of red in what could only be his blood, taking shapes like small crimson jellyfish swimming between moonlight and darkness._

 _The limbs of the creature yanked him down to the cold depths of the ocean. Aladdin realized that no one would be there to save him. He was completely at the mercy of the creature that had whispered five menacing words in his ear: I. Will. Tear. You. Apart._

Aladdin woke with a gasp, his body soaked with sweat and his heart throbbing in his chest. _A nightmare?_ he thought. He wondered if he encounter with the sea demon had anything to do with it. He ran his fingers through his hair, damp with sweat much like his clothes were. _Almost as if I really took a dive into the sea. Yikes._

"Geez, everyone's up already and I have to wake the prince from his _beauty sleep_!" Aladdin heard Iago's voice from outside the door of Tani's hut. But Jasmine wasn't too far behind him. From the sound that Iago made outside of the door, Jasmine had probably grabbed hold of him by his tailfeathers.

"Iago, Aladdin went to sleep much later than any one of us, so give him some space. It's only mid-morning."

"Mid-morning? Great." Aladdin said under his breath. He realized the blanket that had once covered him was tangled between his legs. Kicking it off, he stood and went to prepare himself for the day - hoping it wouldn't resemble anything close to his nightmares.

* * *

Aladdin joined Genie shortly after he finished breakfast. His semi-phenomenal cosmic powered friend sat in a beach chair along the shoreline, peering through binoculars out to see like a lifeguard looking for a shark.

"Anything, Genie?" Aladdin asked.

Genie grinned at the sight of Aladdin, giving him a small salute. "Nothing to report yet, Captain. Still keeping an eye on the water. It's been pretty calm this morning, actually saw some fish and some other sea creatures come towards the shallow end. And I've seen a few of the villagers walk along the beach. Seems like they haven't done so in a long time."

"Can you blame them? The demon probably scared them off so many times they didn't want to come near the water. I wonder if it's the same with the sea life around here." Aladdin knelt down, plucking a orange and white spotted shell from where it lay half buried in the sands. He heard a sound not too far from where he stood as he picked it up. Looking ahead, Aladdin saw the same little girl that had met them on the beach just the day before. She started to walk away in a hurry, but Aladdin's voice stopped her.

" _Wait!_ Wait...is your name Miza?"

The little girl turned to face him. She wore a dark blue sundress with long sleeves, her dark hair swept up in a slightly messy ponytail. She twiddled her thumbs, pouting her lip. "Yep, Miza is Miza. I'm not supposed to be near the water."

Aladdin smiled softly. "You can come up to the water if you want to."

"No monsters?"

"No, there aren't any monsters here now."

"Are _you sure_?" Aladdin had to keep himself from laughing at how skeptical she sounded. Her side-eye glance added to the doubt in her voice.

"I'm _really_ sure. Come on up. This is the best time when you can walk barefoot on the beach and let the waves run over your feet."

Miza cautiously walked toward where Aladdin stood. While Aladdin was barefoot, Miza had some handmade sandals that she slipped off just before standing beside the Prince of Agrabah.

"That's it. Now just wait for the next wave to come."

When the next wave washed along the shoreline, it came up to both Miza's and Aladdin's ankles. The girl wasn't expecting the initial chill, which she gave a little yelp, but afterward she started to laugh. "The water feels weird, but good. I've never done this before."

"You've never come this close to the water before?" Aladdin asked.

Miza shook her head. "Not allowed to because of the monster. I've always wanted to walk along the shoreline, just to be able to see what it's like - but it's too dangerous. Monster killed a friend of mine because he got too close. Miza didn't want that to happen to her. Also, Papa isn't here because of the monster either."

That made Aladdin's heart ache. Not only had Miza lost her father, but also a friend. What was it like to spend a whole lifetime not being able to visit a place mere steps from where you lived? Aladdin thought about his own experiences growing up in Agrabah, just steps away from the Palace walls, but never setting foot beyond the gates because of his status as a street urchin. He'd been curious as to what it was like for most of his life - but also fear. What if he'd been caught by the guards? What if he'd been unfairly punished?

Miza's experience was similar, yet also very different.

"I'm sorry, Miza," he said softly.

The girl shrugged, smiling a little. "You and your magic friends drove the Deathseeker back to sea, so people can walk on the beach now."

Aladdin felt a shiver run down his spine. His smile faded. _That name - it's the same one from the nightmare I had_ , he thought. "Deathseeker? You mean the sea demon?"

She nodded. "Deathseeker is one of its names. Papa, Mama, Uncle Arzin and Ma-Tani told me not to use its name. Saying one of its true names is forbidden because it might call it to the surface." Miza appeared to only realize the meaning of that statement after she made it. She covered her mouth quickly, thought a moment, then changed the subject. "Are you really a prince?"

Aladdin laughed, running his fingers through the hair just over his brow. "Yes, my kingdom is in Agrabah."

"Wow," she said, her eyes wide. "I've never met a prince or princess before, and now I have."

"Is it anything you expected it to be?" Aladdin asked, curious.

She shook her head. "It's a lot more. Princess Jasmine is really pretty, and really nice. You seem really nice too."

"D'AWWWWWWWWWWWW!" Genie voice startled Aladdin and Miza as he looked between the two of them with heart shapes in his eyes. "You guys are tooooo cute!"

Aladdin felt his face grow hot, while Miza blinked as she looked up at Genie in wonder. "Forgive my friend - this is Genie."

"Is Genie really a genie?" Miza asked.

"Yep, the one and only Genie of the Lamp!" Genie said. "Though...I live in the lamp now rather than being imprisoned by it. Al could tell you all kinds of stories about how we met and the adventures we've been on."

" _Oooh_ , I wanna hear!" Miza said, but before Aladdin could begin any kind of story, a furious voice called Miza's name from a fair distance away. Aladdin didn't have to look in the direction of the voice to know who it was or why he sounded so angry.

" _MIZA!_ You know the rules! Get away from the beach _right now_!"

 _No doubt her Uncle Arzin_ , he thought bitterly.

MIza flinched, but she gave a quick wave to Aladdin and Genie before rejoining her uncle. Arzin said a few words to Miza, but Aladdin couldn't make them out from the distance they stood away. Miza hurried away, while Arzin watched her until she disappeared into their hut. He then turned, giving Aladdin a hard glare. _If looks could kill_ , Aladdin thought, but Arzin was the first to turn and walk away.

"Yeah, it's official, Al. That guy really doesn't like us," Genie said, his own voice weary.

"Yeah, but as much as he hates us, I know he's only trying to protect Miza. I don't blame him for that, at least."

"But seriously, Miza's so much nicer than him. I guess she takes after her father and mother more than her uncle."

Aladdin felt a wave of sadness move over him. He looked out over the coastline towards the sun shining over the water. "I wish we could've met her dad. I mean, I know what it's like to not have a father figure at a young age, but at least I was able to reunite with him." Aladdin recalled his adventures with the forty thieves and finding out that his father had been the king among them. Last time he checked, Cassim was still traveling the world. Iago had gone with him on some of those travels, even. He still visited the palace from time to time, and sent scrolls detailing his travels and adventures.

He was like his father in so many ways, and finding him filled a part of Aladdin's heart he hadn't known he missed. But Miza wouldn't have those experiences.

"Yeah, that's true. But hey - Miza gave us a piece of info we didn't know at first. One of the sea demon's names is the Deathseeker. I feel like I've heard that name before somewhere..."

Aladdin's eyes widened. "Genie, where did you hear it?"

"Uhh...you know what, I can't remember. That's the thing about converting over from a phenomenal cosmic power to semi-phenomenal - you forget things. My memory isn't as sharp as it used to be, but I could probably look for the answer now that we know...hey kid, you okay?"

Aladdin hadn't realized he'd slipped into recalling the nightmare from earlier that morning. He'd heard Genie's answer, but the mention of the Deathseeker took him back to the words the creature had told him in a menacing whisper: _I. Will. Tear. You. Apart._ He'd even known the Deathseeker's title before Miza mentioned the name. Had the nightmare been more than just that? A warning?

"Al, seriously, what is it? Your face just turned three shades paler than these sand dunes."

"I...It's nothing, Genie. I think we need to head back inside for now - see how else we can help out everyone around town." Aladdin didn't spare a moment too soon walking away.

Concern etched across Genie's usually jovial face. He was used to Aladdin keeping secrets (as the prince had done so many times during their adventures together, sometimes for better and some for worse), but he couldn't help but think that something was seriously wrong to have the Prince of Agrabah shaken to his very core.


	5. Chapter 5: Trap Set Match

**Chapter 5: Trap. Set. Match.**

Iago was far more tired from washing all of the dishes in Gloloria's main restaurant than he thought that evening. He grumbled aloud as he flew through the streets of the tiny town. "Seriously, I have never, ever, ever had to do that amount of degrading, menial labor in my entire life. I'm not some bird meant to use his feathers to dry dishes!"

He groaned, stopping mid flight to land on a nearby barrel behind a newly rebuilt store. He needed to catch his breath for a bit before heading the rest of the way. "Seriously, I don't expect them to _make me work_ when I'm supposed to be on vacation. And I probably woulda never even broke those dishes to begin with if I hadn't been so _charitable_."

Iago didn't notice the masked figure that had followed him since he left the restaurant. He definitely didn't notice the figure approach from behind, wielding a large plank of wood in two hands like a bat. The parrot felt the smallest hint of a breeze ruffle his feathers, which made him turn just at the moment the figure raised the wooden plank above his head.

"Hey, waitaminute... _HEY!_ " Iago shouted. But Iago couldn't fly away fast enough as the plank landed hard on the side of his head. Iago groaned before falling to the ground.

The figure picked up Iago by his tailfeathers, just before pulling off his mask to take a long breath. Arzin was tired, but not so much that he couldn't see his ultimate plan through. "No one will miss the sacrifice of a loud bird. Far better it be him serving as a lure for the demon than a human, at least. I wonder...would that Aladdin bother to play hero to an animal if it meant saving a human life?" He chuckled to himself. "I suppose we'll find out - and while he's busy being a so called hero, I'll slay the demon for myself. I will avenge my fallen comrades, my fellow townspeople...and my brother's honor."

The next morning, Jasmine was surprised to see Aladdin helping some of the townsmen carry the materials necessary to rebuild several of the huts around town.

"You're up early this morning," she said with a small smile.

He stretched his arms over his head. "Yeah, figured I'd make up for lost time yesterday. With Genie's help, we've rebuilt most of the town. Just a matter of making sure there are newer and stronger homes for the residents here."

Jasmine nodded with approval. "I'm hoping the sea demon doesn't undo the progress we've made."

Aladdin's expression darkened as he looked towards the rising sun on the horizon. "Yeah, I hope not either."

"Aladdin, what is it?" Jasmine folded her arms across her chest, her smile fading quickly. "Genie said something was bothering you, but he wasn't sure what."

Aladdin groaned. "Guess Genie doesn't miss anything...you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you."

She raised a brow. "Try me. I don't think there have been many things about your experiences that have surprised me much...with few exceptions."

Aladdin told her of the nightmare he'd woken from the day before. It made Jasmine's skin crawl at the recollection, let alone Aladdin experiencing a horrible demise in the nightmare.

"There were so many things that were wrong with it," Aladdin said. "I knew about the Deathseeker's name before Miza mentioned it. How would I know that if it wasn't a warning?" Aladdin caught himself. "I forgot that I'm not supposed to speak its 'true' name."

"It's a good question," Jasmine mused. "We don't really know much about it; I'm not even sure how its power works."

"Neither am I," Aladdin said. "Guess I should see what Genie says. I should've told him yesterday, but I didn't wanna worry him. He told me he's heard of the sea demon's name before, but he can't remember where. I wonder if he's looked into it."

"You definitely should. Oh, Aladdin - I meant to ask. You haven't seen Iago this morning, have you?"

Aladdin shook his head. "No, but I wouldn't be surprised he's in hiding, considering all the chores you made him do yesterday."

Jasmine winced. "If you see him, tell him that I don't expect him to do anything like that today. If anything, he could help Abu get provisions for the trip back to Agrabah."

"Will do. See you this evening, Jasmine." He kissed her and gave her a brief embrace before he whistled, summoning Carpet to help him carry off supplies. Jasmine was glad that she talked to Aladdin, as the conversation helped improve his mood. But she felt an uneasiness that came and left as quick as the chilly morning breeze. She hoped that they could help Gloloria with the sea demon problem - the sooner, the better.

"So you haven't seen Iago either?" Aladdin asked as Carpet took a break. The two of them had a long day of work, but managed to squeeze some time to meet just as the sun started to set.

Carpet shrugged.

Aladdin folded his arms across his chest. "Yeah, he's not usually away for this long. Come to think of it, Abu's not here either. I wonder if those two went off somewhere. Jasmine hasn't seen them all day."

Before Aladdin could say anything else, he heard someone calling for him from a fair distance. "Prince Aladdin!"

Aladdin saw Miza running towards them from the western part of the beach, just outside the perimeter around town. He wondered why Miza would be that far out from the village, especially out of the protective eyes of her Uncle Arzin, but then again - he wasn't really one for following rules at that age either. "Hey Miza, what's going on?"

She struggled to get her breath as she put her hands on her knees, looking up between Aladdin and Carpet. "The sea demon's back. I saw it, but it didn't see Miza."

Both Aladdin and Carpet were caught off guard, but Aladdin recovered faster, narrowing his eyes. "Where?"

She pointed in the direction from which she ran. "That way. Looked like it was searching for something; I wasn't close enough to see."

Aladdin shared a look with Carpet. "I think we need to keep it as far away from town as we can. Miza, can you get Genie and let him know where we're headed? Tell everyone in town to take cover, just in case."

Miza nodded. "Miza will warn everyone!" She gave him a quick bow before she bolted into town.

With the sword Tani had given him strapped to his back, Aladdin flew on Carpet, making sure to keep high in the sky out of the demon's vision and reach. Aladdin didn't want a direct encounter, not until he could create a plan on how to face it.

It surprised him to see the massive creature languidly moving along the shoreline. _What's it doing?_ he thought. _Looks like he's sniffing at several things lining along the sand, but I can't see what they are from here. He's following them like breadcrumbs._

"Move a little closer, Carpet. We need to figure out where it's headed."

Carpet gave a short thumbs up with one of its knobs before flying swiftly down, landing just behind a rock not too far from where the demon lurked. Aladdin caught a better glimpse of what the demon was following. The sight made his heart sink into the pit of his stomach.

Feathers. Red feathers with a pattern he knew all too well.

"Oh no, Iago! Wait a minute...if it's _following_ Iago's feathers, that means the Deathseeker hasn't caught up with him yet. Move quickly, Carpet. We need to get as far ahead of it as we can."

Carpet nodded before taking off. Aladdin occasionally caught glimpses of the sea demon behind them but eventually they were far enough ahead to be out of the line of vision of the monster. It wasn't long before the trail of feathers tapered off, at first scattered and plentiful, then dwindling down to one or two feathers every few strides. The end point? A large, knotted sack resting near the edge of the water lapping at the shore.

At first, the sack didn't show any signs of movement, but when a wave rushed over the bag, Aladdin saw the bag move furiously, alongside muttered screams from within it. As soon as Carpet landed, Aladdin rushed over to the bag to open it. Abu jumped out almost immediately, while a frazzled Iago stumbled out onto the beach only to fall face forward into the sand.

Abu ran around, screeching and scratching until he saw Aladdin and barrelled into his friend's chest, sobbing. Aladdin wasn't sure what to do, stunned not only to see them, but at their inhumane treatment. "Hey Abu, it's okay - it's just me! I was wondering what happened to you guys." He looked up at Iago, seeing the hard lump on the side of Iago's skull. "Iago, what happened to you?"

Iago groaned, rubbing a wing against the lump. "If my head didn't ache so much, I'd actually remember. Last time I checked, I was tied in a bag I couldn't breathe in or escape from with monkey boy over here - obvious meets obvious. Ugh."

Aladdin's brow narrowed. "Someone definitely meant for you guys to be put in a trap here. Question is who would do something like that. They could've had you guys killed considering how close..." Aladdin didn't finish his statement, as his eyes suddenly widened and he looked over his shoulder. Carpet was gesturing wildly in a panic as well.

Iago wasn't happy about the look of panic crossing Aladdin's features. "What the heck's got you two spooked?"

"Guys, we need to get out of here right now," Aladdin said, pulling the sword from the sheath on his back. "It's coming."

Abu looked to where Aladdin's line of vision settled. The sight had him screeching with alarm. Iago didn't catch on until the setting sun revealed the looming black sea demon not far from where they all stood. Its limbs stretched out far beyond its body, sets of teeth agape. Aladdin, Iago, Abu and Carpet all heard its screeching resound through the air, but what made Aladdin's spine stiffen came through the words that Aladdin heard faintly through its cry.

 _Found. You._


	6. Chapter 6: Close Call

**Chapter 6: Close Call**

Iago's jaw dropped, and he let out a yell of panic that didn't really help their situation, as it made the Deathseeker howl even louder. Aladdin was shaken out of his trance long enough to grab Iago by the tail and run. He ran to Carpet, climbing aboard alongside Abu.

"Carpet, take us outta here!" Aladdin shouted. Carpet didn't spare a moment's hesitation as he took to the sky, flying through the sea demon's dangling limbs. The sun's fading light looked like blood on the water, showing along the sea demon's dark form. Iago held on to the edge of Carpet like his life depended on it. Abu held onto Aladdin's waist as the three of them took several sharp turns, loops and dives aboard Carpet. Aladdin's grip tightened on Carpet's edge. _I know what happened last time_ , he mused. _Falling from this high up would be certain death at worse, broken bones at best._

But Aladdin quickly caught onto the fact that the Deathseeker's limbs were trying to bite their jaws into Carpet. One of them managed to bite the edge of the flying rug and rip a significant chunk of fabric from his side. Carpet flinched, but flew faster to avoid more of the teeth attempting to bite him.

"Come on, Carpet, keep going. You've got this." Aladdin urged. The prince used one hand to take the sword from his back. _If Carpet can't fly through these demon limbs, then I'll cut a path for him to fly through!_ Aladdin thought.

As Aladdin used his sword to slice off the teeth heads of the limbs attempting to reach Carpet, Iago cheered him on. " _Yeah!_ That's right, Al! Slice and dice that sea demon's arms into _mincemeat!_ "

Iago's calls to victory were shortlived, however, as more of the demon's limbs gathered around them, jaws snapping and closing on Carpet. Even as fast as Aladdin cut the limbs trying to pull Carpet down, more of them regenerated their heads and sharp sets of teeth. One of the sets of teeth almost clamped down on Aladdin's upper arm, but he moved at the last second - causing part of his tunic to be ripped away. He recovered fast enough to cut off the demon's limb.

The sea demon howled as each of its limbs were cut; it grew angrier by the minute. In the height of its anger, it launched all of its limbs to grip the edges of Carpet with each set of teeth. The attack caused Carpet to buckle, even as fast as the magic rug tried to avoid it. Aladdin, Abu, and Iago were dumped from Carpet - they all yelled as they plummeted to the sands below. Fortunately, it wasn't a long fall, but it was enough to knock the wind out of Aladdin as he hit the ground. He recovered fast enough to catch Abu in his outstretched arms.

"You good, Abu?" Aladdin asked.

Abu wiped a paw against his brow. "Good, good."

Iago wasn't so lucky, landing head first into a sand dune. He struggled to pull his head out of a nearby sand dune. "Who turned out the lights? Hey!"

Aladdin pulled Iago out of the sand dune by his tail, leaving Iago coughing and sputtering sand. The Prince's attention turned back to the sea demon, as several of its limbs with teeth were ripping Carpet's fabric into several pieces, like scissors cutting through paper.

" _Carpet! NO!_ " Aladdin searched for the sword he'd dropped when he'd fallen. When he saw it sticking out of a nearby sand dune, he pulled it out and made a mad dash towards the Deathseeker.

Abu wasn't happy with Aladdin's sudden rush into danger; he started screeching wildly. Iago, who moments before had cheered Aladdin on in slaying the sea demon, yelled out a warning. " _Don't do it_ , Al! It's gonna rip you into _smithereens_!"

 _I'm not standing back and letting Carpet get destroyed by that thing._ Aladdin thought. _But one thing I remember is that the Deathseeker has tunnel vision - it only sets its gaze on attacking one thing at a time after a certain point. If that's the case, and if Carpet's its only target, I need to take out its good eye._

Aladdin knew that all of the limbs of the creature were outstretched over its large form, gripping Carpet and attempting to pull as much apart of his fabric as it could possibly handle. As it looked upward towards where Carpet struggled in mid-air, it didn't notice Aladdin's approach. It wasn't until Aladdin was positioned behind the Deathseeker that it realized something was amiss. By that time, Aladdin had scaled its back, jumping on top of the demon's head to look straight down into the one good eye it had.

"Maybe instead of focusing on whomever you can terrorize, you should pay attention more to _your surroundings_ ," Aladdin said, just before raking the sword over and into the sea demon's eye.

The Deathseeker howled in pain, black blood oozing out of its injured eye to the beach sands below. Its limbs loosened their grip from Carpet's remaining form, which floated down to the sands. Carpet didn't even have enough fabric left on his form to carry anyone, not even Abu, but he was very much alive.

The Deathseeker's limbs swiveled their teeth (and their attentions) from Carpet to Aladdin. Aladdin looked upward as they started individually shrieking through the night air. His stomach felt like it twisted in knots at their sharp jaws glistening in the moonlight.

 _I'm definitely in trouble_ , Aladdin thought, just before sliding down the sea demon's back and breaking into a run along the shoreline of the beach. Several of the demon's limbs descended sharply in unison, gathering an unfocused attack on Aladdin. The Deathseeker having no eyesight and being in pain was enough to slow their movements, but Aladdin was in no less danger than before as he had to duck and dodge the limbs' rapid attacks as he ran.

In the meantime, Iago and Abu raced to where Carpet lay on the sands. They struggled to find what pieces they could of him through the darkening sky. Iago was none too pleased at this task.

"Geez, ya think the sea demon could've ripped you up _even more_ , Rug Man? We're trying to scour every sand dune here just to find _what's left of ya!_ "

Abu issued a series of screeches that came across in a lecturing tone, making Iago flinch. "Monkey, I never said it was _his fault_ he got ripped apart by the sea demon. I'm _merely_ pointing out the number of threads we have to find to _put him back together_! Worse than Humpty Dumpty!"

With the rapid approach of the Deathseeker chasing after Aladdin, however, Iago thought it would be a good time to abandon their search. "Come on, Al! We gotta get outta here!"

"I'm _trying_!" Aladdin shouted back. He ducked another of the sea demon's limbs, but didn't notice one of its massive other limbs coming toward him. He turned long enough to see it coming towards him, before the limb hit him square on the left side of his ribcage. He yelled, knocked from his feet and rolling down several sand dunes before stopping a fair distance beyond from where Iago, Abu, and Carpet stood.

What remained of Carpet ambled over to Aladdin, where he lay motionless upon the sands.

"Kid! Hey, kid!" Iago shouted.

"Aladdin!" Abu cried out, throwing his arms around Aladdin's neck as the prince sat up, groaning as he held his side. When Aladdin's hand came away from his side, he saw blood, a sight that equally alarmed both Iago and Abu alike despite Aladdin trying to downplay it.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Aladdin said, but his expression turned to a grimace as he tried to stand and failed.

"We're all gonna die!" Iago shouted, pointing a short distance away to where the Deathseeker loomed before them, it's limbs stretched out and each set of teeth gleaming in the moonlight like the edges of daggers.

 _I may not be able to see you, but I can smell your fear as well as your weakness_ , the Deathseeker's voice bellowed through the dark, chilled air. _For your insolence, I will grind each piece of your flesh until there is nothing left, foolish mortals._

Before Aladdin could react, he heard a voice above them shout "INCOMING!" Aladdin, Iago, Abu, and Carpet looked up long enough to see several fireballs raining from the dark sky above them, pelting the Deathseeker's flesh. It's cry echoed through the air, as parts of its limbs started to take flame. The group watched as the Deathseeker retreated, headed towards the shoreline before it disappeared beneath the waves. The only sign of its retreat were the streams of smoke left from the flames on its flesh.

Aladdin pointed up to the sky, his lip turning up to a grin. "Look! It's Genie! He made it in time!"

Iago folded his wings across his chest. "Took him long enough. That was too close to be a close call!"

Genie floated from the clouds to the ground before them, donning a chef's hat and apron. "Well, my dinner wasn't cooking the way I expected. I had a grease fire, so those fireballs actually came in handy for something. Too bad it wasn't good for my meal, though." Genie's grin faded as he looked among the group. "Man, you guys don't look too good."

Iago bristled at that statement, flying up and using his claws to yank on the lower part of Genie's curly beard. "I have a knot on my head the size of a golf ball and half my feathers missing. Carpet's _shredded_ to pieces. Abu and I both have _psychological trauma_ from being trapped and nearly drowning in a bag left by the ocean. And Al just got a chunk of his skin _ripped out_ by that sea demon. 'Don't look too good' IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT."

Aladdin winced, but managed to get to his feet. "Genie, someone captured Abu and Iago and left them in a sack by the beach. And it wasn't just that they were left here, someone took several of Iago's feathers and put a path straight to them. They were being used as a lure for the Deathseeker on purpose!"

"Wish I could remember who did it, if my head didn't ache so much," Iago said, gingerly rubbing the bump on his head. He gave a side eye glance towards Abu, who perched on Aladdin's shoulder. "You know anything about it, monkey?"

Abu shook his head. "Nuh-uh." With a series of gestures, Abu communicated that someone had snuck up behind him and sprayed a mist that made him pass out.

Genie winced. "Geez, we haven't even been here that long, and someone puts a hit out on the animal folk. Who would do such a thing? I was thinking we were starting to get along with everybody - what with driving the sea demon back to the sea and everything."

Aladdin's expression suddenly changed from thoughtful to one of anger as his brows narrowed. "I have a pretty strong guess as to who it is, but..." He stopped midsentence, gasping at a realization that none but him knew. Aladdin ran forward along the shoreline, retracing the path they'd come just before the Deathseeker pursued them.

"Hey Al, wait a minute!" Genie shouted, rushing after him.

Aladdin knew what he was looking for, and found it still lying on the stretch of beach where he'd found Abu and Iago. It had a specific pattern to its weaving, and if Aladdin's hunch was right, he knew that the person who made the sack was the same person who trapped Iago and Abu.

As he examined the pattern and specific handsewn logo, he had no doubt about its owner and creator. Working in the village had given Aladdin an opportunity to see that the villagers all made their own sacks by hand. Miza had even taken the time to teach Aladdin how to make his own so that he could carry supplies around town to help deliver food and build back the town.

"I knew it," Aladdin muttered. "It should've been obvious the way he's been acting around us, but for him to actually do something like this - he must've been so confident that the demon would've ripped this bag to shreds and never been recovered." Aladdin shook his head, closing his eyes and clenching the sack in his fists. "Arzin..."

Iago squawked with recognition. " _Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!_ That guy! Yeah, it was that guy! I saw 'im just before he hit me!"

Genie frowned. "Fine time to remember, my fine feathered friend." He turned to Aladdin. "So what are you gonna do, kiddo? I mean, if Arzin's dangerous enough to do something like that, how the heck...?"

Aladdin held up a hand, which made Genie stop midsentence. "Let's just say I'm gonna have a _long_ talk with him. Come on, let's get back to town."

" _Long talk_ , eh? I guess Al's gonna go all tough guy. He should do that more often - might cut his nice persona for a change," Iago said as he perched near a small bonfire on the beach. "He'd better anyway! Arzin almost had us _killed!_ I'd like to show him what it's like to be stuffed in a sack and nearly devoured by a ginormous sea demon!"

Beside Iago, Genie had transformed into a grandmotherly figure with two large sewing needles sitting in a rocking chair. He was busy weaving Carpet back together. Carpet was none too pleased and impatient with the way Genie took his time sewing him back to sorts, but Carpet used his working knobs to play a game of checkers with Abu. Miza sat cross-legged near them - looking between them both with avid curiosity.

"Miza's never seen a magic carpet play a game of checkers with a monkey before," she said in awe.

" _Abu!_ " Abu said, emphasizing the fact that he was no ordinary monkey.

" _Abu!_ " She mimicked the way he gestured to himself as well as his tone. At first Abu seemed annoyed, but he couldn't help but grin widely at the girl whose own smile was infectious.

Jasmine ran up to approach the group, catching her breath. Genie met her gaze while peering over his glasses. "Oh hello there, dearie - any updates for us on the town?"

Jasmine smiled a little. "Tani and I were finally able to calm most of the villagers down for the night. We convinced them the demon went back to sea. I'm glad you guys are okay. Wait - where's Aladdin?"

Genie quickly transformed to his normal self, using his magic to quickly finish up the last of Carpet's form. Carpet looked at him as if to say "Why didn't you do that sooner?" Genie ignored him.

"The kid went to look for Arzin, I think. He didn't look too happy about it, but he told me he wanted to handle the convo alone. Now that I think about it, that might've been a bad idea."

"Genie!" Jasmine said, folding her arms across her chest and groaning. "Those two aren't exactly friends and the last time they met, Arzin wasn't past the point of hurting Aladdin."

Genie then remembered how injured Aladdin was after the fight with the Deathseeker, and winced. "Yeah, I think we might wanna find Al, just in case things do get testy."

Miza stood up quickly. "I think I know where Uncle Arzin is. Come on, follow me!"

Arzin shrugged casually as he tended to the fire in his cabin. Aladdin stood a fair distance behind the man, his hands balled into fists.

"You're overreacting to all of this," Arzin said, shaking his head as if he were scolding a small child. "The animals would've made a fair sacrifice for the demon to leave our village alone. It would've had the taste of flesh without taking any human lives. Sounds like whomever decided to put them out by the sea was saving us a bit of misery. And they were crafty at how they went about doing it, it seems."

"Iago and Abu are _not_ just animals. They are _my friends!_ " Aladdin could barely contain his anger. "And you have the nerve to stand in front of me like you don't know or care about this?"

"Last time I checked, _your highness_ , I didn't take orders from you," Arzin turned to face him. "And who said I did anything? I might know of the situation, but you certainly don't have any proof of the claims you're making."

Aladdin threw the sack he'd recovered on the ground at Arzin's feet. The prince spoke through his teeth. "I know that belongs to you, Arzin. And you know a lot more about it than anyone's even talked about in the town, so don't play dumb with me."

Arzin's expression flickered only a fraction of a second - something resembling guilt, before smoothing over into a quiet anger that took Aladdin by surprise. "I honestly think the only dumb one here is you, young prince. Any reasonable outsider by now would've been out of this town just as soon as the sun rose. But yet you stayed...why? Guilt for drawing out the monster that's terrorized us for so long? Now that both of its eyes are gone, it's going to vow revenge. Just remember you're responsible for that."

Aladdin stared at him in disbelief. "I can't believe you would try to turn this around and make me feel guilty over saving my friends for something that YOU did. Though I would think you'd have a conscience since you're raising and protecting Miza."

Arzin pinned Aladdin to a nearby wall of the hut, slamming his hand mere inches away from Aladdin's face into the wall. " _Don't_ bring Miza into this - I care about her. I don't care about _outsiders_ who only think they know what it means to bear the scars of battle." His eye wandered down to where a part of the room's light shown where Aladdin's cape had moved aside, showing the bloody wound Aladdin had on his side. Arzin's brows raised. "Well, I stand corrected. Welcome to the big boys club."

"Is this all a game to you?!" Aladdin shouted.

Arzin laughed, but it wasn't with any note of humor. "A game, you say? Tell me who's laughing when you have these scars to bear." He held up the edge of his tunic, to which Aladdin drew back in surprise. Thick ropes of dark scars criss-crossed along the length of Arzin's stomach. "When you nearly have your insides ripped out, Prince of Agrabah, there's little laughter to go around."

Aladdin shook his head, his voice more quiet than before, but firm. "Arzin, this isn't a competition between the two of us. I'm not your enemy. Regardless of what happened to you, it wasn't your call to put me or my friends in danger." Aladdin moved towards the door of Arzin's hut to leave, his back turned to the bitter man seething behind him. "I'm starting to wonder who's more of the demon here: the Deathseeker or you. For the moment, it's a little hard to tell the difference."


	7. Chapter 7: Thirst

**Chapter 7: Thirst**

Aladdin reminded Arzin too much of his older brother. His kindness towards others, his quickness to react even when he failed at something. It wasn't lost on Arzin that Aladdin was smart enough to see through his plan, but the young prince couldn't concretely prove it past the sack thrown at Arzin's feet. That part of Arzin's plan - where he'd hoped no traces of his involvement would be found - had failed.

His thirst for the demon's blood had changed him. Arzin wasn't sure if it was vengeance for his brother, his protectiveness of Miza, or his hatred of the group from Agrabah...something kept feeding the anger that rumbled in the pit of his stomach. It roared to life again when Aladdin dared to compare him to the Deathseeker.

Before Aladdin could leave the cabin, Arzin grabbed Aladdin by the shoulders and threw him against one of the walls of the cabin. Aladdin grunted, stunned by the motion that he couldn't recover fast enough. It didn't help that the wound on the prince's side was still open and throbbing with pain. Aladdin steadied himself against the wall, struggling to stay on his feet.

Arzin reasoned that the boy had lost too much blood, but he didn't care. "Don't you dare compare me to the Deathseeker, you gutter urchin. Say those words to me again, and I will make you regret it."

" _NO!_ Uncle Arzin, don't hurt him!" A voice came from behind Arzin just before he could take a step towards Aladdin. He hadn't heard the front door of the cabin open or heard Miza coming in. Part of him - the anger within - pressed Arzin to make Aladdin an example to Miza of what would happen to people who crossed him. The other part - his dedication to his fallen brother's daughter - stopped him.

Arzin didn't have to look at Miza to know how terrified she was - he'd heard it in her voice and it sobered him a bit from the anger burning within him. He watched as Jasmine rushed over to her husband, who stood on unsteady feet while leaning against the wall. Arzin could say that he was almost impressed with how Aladdin stood his ground. Though the boy looked tired from battle and from his wounds, his gaze at Arzin didn't communicate fear or lack of resolve.

"Aladdin, we need to go." Jasmine said.

Arzin snorted, a wide grin twisting his features, made worse by the flickering embers of the fireplace nearby. "You should listen to your wife. And perhaps while you learn the ill of barging into a man's house accusing him of a crime _he didn't commit_ , you and your companions can make preparations to leave our town. You can also kindly stay away from my family. Are we clear?"

Arzin saw Aladdin clench his fists at his sides, his brow narrowed as the prince looked briefly between Arzin and Miza. Aladdin was reluctant, but Arzin knew the boy didn't want to fight.

Arzin watched as Jasmine and Aladdin left the cabin. When he turned to Miza, the girl was fuming.

"Why are you like this? Miza doesn't understand!" She shouted.

"Go to your room, Miza. You are not to talk to them again."

"But Uncle Arzin, they're not bad people..."

" _GO!_ " His voice boomed so loudly through the room that it echoed the sudden flicker of the fire. Miza shook her head, her eyes filling with silent tears as she walked with unsteady steps to her room, while her uncle's back remained turned against her.

"He was _totally lying_!" Aladdin said as he sat on the edge of one of the beds in Tani's cabin. "He almost had Abu and Iago _killed_! He was taunting me because I knew the truth."

Jasmine folded her arms across her chest as she sat beside him. "That may be true, but you were reckless, Aladdin. If we hadn't come in when we did..." Her eyes moved to the bandage at his side, which she'd carefully wrapped around his waist despite his protest.

Aladdin winced. "Sorry, Jasmine. But I still don't get it. What did I ever do to Arzin to make him so angry? Why's he angry at any of us? Not that I take it personally, but we haven't been here three whole days. And why would he pull such a stupid plan? Sacrificing Abu and Iago wouldn't turn away a demon like that."

Jasmine sighed, resting her hands on her knees. "Unless he knows something we don't, I don't see how it would do anything either. People do desperate things when they're bent on vengeance. He's angry - he's desperate to do something where he otherwise feels helpless."

Aladdin shook his head. "It's like Tani said, it's not the reasons behind his anger that aren't understandable, but..."

Jasmine met Aladdin's concerned glance. "But what?"

"His anger...isn't natural." Aladdin appeared reluctant to say the words aloud. "I-I know it sounds crazy, but during that whole conversation, before you guys came in, something about Arzin seemed off."

Genie appeared in the room, his brow furrowed. "Al might be onto something there. When we were just coming in, it felt like some kind of weird magic came and went out of there faster than a flicker of a flame. I might've been able to know what it was if I had phenomenal cosmic power, but I could only get a hint of it. Definitely felt familiar, though."

Aladdin stood up. "Do you think Arzin was being controlled by that magic, Genie?"

"I wouldn't say _controlled_. Arzin's definitely acting on his own anger, but I would say it's amplified." Genie scratched the top of his head so hard that his tuft of hair fell out, making him grin sheepishly. "Oops, 10,000 years lends to early balding patterns. Fair warning, kids."

Jasmine picked up Genie's hair and placed it back on his head. "I think all of this is wearing us thin for thought. We need to call it a night." She looked over to where Tani, Carpet, Abu, and Iago were all fast asleep. "Take after them at least."

Aladdin scratched the back of his neck with one hand. "They went through a lot tonight. I don't blame them. Maybe tomorrow we can put this Deathseeker stuff to rest and go home. I...think we've outworn our welcome here."

Genie and Jasmine shared a concerned look as Aladdin retreated into the next room to his own sleeping area. Genie sighed heavily before sitting in midair and resting his elbows on his knees. "Al's definitely not much better than he's been the past few days."

"He went through a lot today too, Genie. He probably won't admit as much; he wasn't willing to admit how badly hurt he was from that fight." Jasmine noted. "He's so stubborn. It took him a while to tell me about the nightmare he'd had with the Deathseeker."

"Nightmare? Okay, I'm definitely not in the loop for this 411." Genie transformed into a preppy sorority girl with long red hair, giving Jasmine a mini manicure. "Ooh, girl, do tell, I love me some good demon busting gossip."

"It's not gossip." Jasmine told Genie every detail that Aladdin had told her earlier that day. At each turn of the nightmare, Genie's expression grew more pale, until he transformed back into his regular self. He sighed heavily. "That made me remember what I was gonna tell Al earlier today, least before Miza found me and told me Al and the others were in trouble."

Jasmine raised an eyebrow. "So you have demon busting gossip for me too?"

Genie laughed half-heartedly. "Well...this isn't really funny either, but the short version is that I remember where I heard the story of the Deathseeker. It's not _quite_ as old as I am, but it wasn't a sea monster to begin with - more like a sky god."

Jasmine's jaw dropped open and Genie an extended an extra arm to lightly tip her mouth closed. "That's not the most shocking part. See, the so called 'sea demon' used to have wings and fly so high in the sky that there was moisture around it to keep its skin saturated. It would only come down to the earth when it needed a blood sacrifice to entertain the other gods. True, that's morbid, but there's more to it than just entertainment. The Deathseeker would pick the sacrifices of wicked men and creatures only, leaving the good people alone to prosper."

Jasmine's brow furrowed. "So how did the Deathseeker...?"

Genie sighed. "The sky god inadvertently killed a 'non-wicked' sacrifice. It was the case of a mother protecting her son from the Deathseeker's attack and she ended up being the sacrifice. The other gods were mad with the Deathseeker and cut his wings as punishment. The big, bad god couldn't fly anymore, and he wasn't considered a god among gods. Lost pretty much anything that could make him 'good'. Now it's one big bitter demon with a murderous streak, and weakened because he can't be away from any kind of moisture for too long."

"So being away from water is its weakness," Jasmine mused.

Genie nodded. "I think it sustains itself more than that. Killing seems to be another way it stays alive. It draws strength from blood too. Which if you think about it would make sense since blood is 92% water. No wait, that's not quite right, that has more to do with plasma..."

Jasmine folded her arms across her chest, cutting him off short with her words. "Genie, focus. We need to tell everyone this in the morning. Knowing its weakness might give us an edge to knowing how to beat it for good. Though..."

"Though what, Princess?"

Jasmine shook her head. "If the Deathseeker used to be a god, we still have no idea how powerful it really is, what abilities it possesses. I have a feeling we've only seen just a part of what it can do."

 _Its talons dug hard into his flesh - ivory teeth that were no doubt stained with his blood. He realized he was no longer in the water - but high up in the sky. No ground existed beneath them, only the massive form of the dark monster that held him amongst the clouds - a night sky with a low blood moon illuminating the area._

 _He found it hard to determine where his running blood ended and the red light of the moon on his skin began._

 _'We meet again', the demon's voice boomed like thunder rumbling among the clouds. 'I warned you of your fate if our paths crossed again.'_

 _He struggled against the demon's grip, gritting his teeth. 'I'm...not going to stand by and let you hurt anyone else just because you can!'_

 _'Your resolve intrigues me.' The demon's grip tightened around him. He wasn't sure if he would die from having a hard time breathing or from the mix of talons and teeth that impaled him._

 _'I know of your wish to destroy me, human, the demon hissed. 'You seek justice rather than vengeance. There used to be a time I relished in killing those solely with malice in their hearts. I'd feed their anger and drive them to madness before destroying them, all for sport.'_

 _Something clicked in his mind. '...Are you responsible for what's happening to Arzin?'_

 _The demon laughed. 'I am doing nothing to him that he would not do to himself. Arzin still has some remnants of his humanity. His morality and mortality teeters - but I wonder what would drive him into my grasp? Being reunited with his brother in the same fate? Or shall something happen to his precious niece?'_

 _He felt his stomach lurch. 'Don't you dare do anything to hurt Miza, or...'_

 _'Or what, human?' The demon's voice boomed. Even in the grip of the demon, he felt his skin prickle from the electric current around them. Thunder boomed while streaks of lightning jumped a fair distance away from them. 'Though you may have taken my sight, I have more than enough power to make you by far my most satisfying sacrifice. Your time will end soon.'_

 _He wasn't expecting the demon to suddenly release him, nor for it to disappear in the midst of the darkness and red clouds surrounding him. He gasped, realizing he was floating in the midst of the sky. His body ached, his clothes were stained with blood, but at least he could breathe._

 _He didn't know what was worse - waiting for gravity to kick in and have him hurdling to the earth below, or waiting for whatever fate had in store for him next. Aladdin realized just a moment before that the latter was far worse. Lighting bolts streaked past and around him before converging and striking his body full force._

Aladdin wasn't sure what woke him in the early hours of the morning, his own raw yell or falling to the floor just at the edge of his bed. To add insult to injury, Aladdin saw one of the pillows fall on top of his face as he lay on the floor. He reached for the pillow, flinging it aside.

Sometime during the night, Abu had made his way to curl up on a nearby pillow close to Aladdin's head, but had woken from the sound of the prince startling awake. The monkey looked down at his friend with concern, while Aladdin spoke, his voice still heavy from sleep.

"Sorry I woke you, Abu. Just a nightmare. _Again_. I'm getting really tired of this. First, it was a vague warning, but now it's an all out threat. " He sat up, just as Abu dropped down to his shoulder, curling up against Aladdin's neck with a few low screeches. Aladdin looked around to see he and Abu were the only ones in the room that had still been sleeping. "Guess I'd better meet up with Jasmine and Genie to tell them about this one. Weird. I wonder where everyone went - it's still so early"

A series of screams coming from outside the cabin startled both Abu and Aladdin to attention. They saw Tani throw open the door to their room. "You must come quickly! The sea demon...it's returned!"

Aladdin scrambled to his feet. "Where is it?"

Tani struggled to catch her breath, placing her hand over her heart. Aladdin could tell the elder woman had rushed from quite a distance, her expression panicked. "Your Genie is fending it off for the time being. But that's not the most immediate concern."

Aladdin and Abu shared a look between them of confusion and concern. "But you just said..."

"Aladdin, the Deathseeker destroyed several of the homes in the village, including my son's home. Miza was inside when the Deathseeker attacked and Jasmine went to help her and hasn't come out...I fear they're both trapped inside!"

 _Jasmine_... Aladdin's thoughts raced in a furious panic, his fists clenched at his sides. "Show me the way," he said.


	8. Chapter 8: Best Plans Gone Wrong

**Chapter 8: Best Plans Gone Wrong**

Abu struggled to stay on Aladdin's shoulder after nearly being knocked off twice by people who bumped them through the crowd. Aladdin ran ahead as those around him were yelling out orders or crying in fear. His thoughts were broken by a familiar voice in the distance.

"It's about _TIME_ you showed up. I dunno how you managed to sleep through the sea demon screaming and waking everyone up," Iago said, perched on a nearby crate.

Tani folded her arms across her chest, giving Iago a sharp glance out the corner of her eyes. "Leave him alone, bird. I don't see you lifting a wing to help around in this chaos. But enough of petty words." She turned to Aladdin, concern etching her features. "They're inside, Aladdin. Jasmine went in some time ago with your magic carpet but they haven't come out since. I don't know what's become of my grandchild. Please be careful. I fear that the hut's foundation is unstable."

Aladdin followed Tani's gaze towards what remained of Arzin and Miza's home. The roof had splintered inward and several of the walls bent in precarious angles. "I'll get them all out safely, Tani. You have my word." Aladdin made his way around the side of the house, climbing in through a window because there was no other safe way inside. Abu perched on the window behind him, screeching softly in protest.

"I'm good, Abu. Don't worry. I'll let you know if I need your help getting around. Stay close, okay?"

"Okay, okay," Abu said with a reluctant nod. He didn't appear too happy to wander into such a dangerous situation.

Aladdin studied the inside of the fragmented house. He'd seen damage like this in Agrabah from some of the monstrous creatures that terrorized the city from time to time. In those cases, he'd had Carpet and Genie to help push back. This time, not so much.

He called out to Jasmine a few times, even as several pieces of debris from the broken home fell around him. Dust and dirt kicked upward, making the prince cough. Abu screeched as he narrowly avoided some of the falling debris, some of the unsettled dust making the monkey's nose tickle. He sneezed hard enough to thrust him backward into a wall.

Abu's sneeze triggered another part of the house to cave in. Aladdin dove for Abu just as the monkey froze in place, screeching in horror. They rolled just out of the path mere seconds before any debris could crush them.

Aladdin held the panting monkey against his own heaving chest, before scowling down at his friend. "You can't afford to get reckless in here, Abu. One wrong sneeze and all of us could be crushed in here."

"Sorry, sorry." The monkey scratched the back of his neck, eyes cast downward to the floor.

Aladdin sighed, giving Abu a small smile. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise. Although, your sneeze might've helped us out a little." Aladdin noted the latter as he saw a sudden movement out the corner of his eye. The figure was hard to tell in the darkness, but Aladdin had a good guess based on the partially flat silhouette he saw wiggling. "Carpet?"

Carpet wigged his knobs in near darkness, but it was enough for Aladdin to feel relief. "I'm glad we were able to find you in this mess. You're trapped, aren't you?" Aladdin moved swifty to where Carpet was pinned underneath several pieces of furniture. With Abu's help, Aladdin helped clear much of it enough to get Carpet unstuck. Carpet rushed around the room.

"Wait, Carpet, no! Calm down!" Aladdin warned. Carpet stopped short of colliding with a weak part of the roof, floating down to the ground just near where Aladdin and Abu stood.

"Do you know where Jasmine is? Tani said she came in here with you to look for Miza."

Carpet pointed downward with one of his knobs. "They're underground? So there is another level - I thought as much. Show me the last place you saw them."

Carpet raced forward, Abu and Aladdin following him as quick as they could through pieces of broken furniture, past the fireplace where Aladdin had encountered Arzin the night before and towards a narrow hallway that Aladdin guessed were bedrooms.

Aladdin called out again. " _Jasmine! Miza!_ Are you here?" A series of muffled calls responded. Aladdin, Carpet and Abu furiously worked to clear a path, seeing that the floor had caved in for one of the bedrooms.

When Aladdin, Abu and Carpet moved the last piece of heavy debris, they were met with two relieved faces a distance below them.

"Prince Aladdin! Prince Aladdin! See, Miza knew they would come save us!" Miza cried happily.

Aladdin couldn't hide his own relief. "Hey Miza. Hey Princess. Thought you could use a hand."

Jasmine grinned back. "I'm just glad Carpet was able to reach you two. He was the only one to get out in time before this place fell around us. I'm guessing from how long it took that you guys had some trouble getting in."

"Nothing that we couldn't handle. Come on, let's get you two out of here. I don't trust this place to stand for much longer." Aladdin saw Jasmine urge Miza forward, taking the girl by one of her hands.

"Make sure she gets out first," Jasmine said. "Miza hurt her ankle when the floor of her room caved in."

"Don't worry, I've got her." Aladdin lifted Miza by her waist, having Carpet close by to help steady her before she took a seat on his floating form. Aladdin then lifted Jasmine out, helping to steady her just after a section of the floor gave way under her feet.

"Easy," Aladdin breathed, holding Jasmine close to him as her fingers clutched the fabric of his tunic. She smiled up at him, but the moment between them was short-lived as another rumble of the ground started making the house around them shake.

"Whoa, Carpet, let's go!" Aladdin shouted as they all boarded him. Carpet didn't spare another moment as he raced upward and out a nearby window, just before the entire house collapsed in a smoky heap.

* * *

A small crowd around the house cheered as Carpet landed on the beach. Tani raced forward, scooping up her granddaughter into her arms for a long embrace.

"Thank goodness all of you are safe; Princess, are you hurt?"

Jasmine shook her head. "No, I'm fine, Tani. But I think everyone needs to get as far away from the beach as possible."

"You don't have to tell me twice, dear. And Miza, you poor girl, you've twisted your ankle - we'll need to get that looked at."

Miza frowned. "Miza's fine. It's not...that bad." But as she tried to step forward, her expression crumpled into a wince. Tani wasn't fazed.

Jasmine turned to Aladdin, her eyebrow raised and her arms folded across her chest. "Miza sounds just as stubborn as a certain prince I know."

"Wait, _what?_ I don't think..." Aladdin stopped short as a shrill, inhuman scream echoed through the air, making him, Jasmine, Abu, Iago and Carpet freeze in place.

Iago's feathers ruffled as he hid behind Abu. "Yeah, well, I know which direction I'm _not_ headed toward. Time to find a bunker."

Abu nodded in agreement, his teeth audibly chattering and his fur standing on end.

Tani sighed, shaking her head. "It seems we are better going inland for the time being. Most of the villagers are already in their shelters, but we can't risk letting our guard down. I hope you are prepared, young prince and princess."

Miza looked up at her grandmother. "Are we going to see Mama?"

 _Mama? Wait...if Miza lives with her uncle, why doesn't she live with her mother?_ Aladdin saw Tani's knowing look at the child, her face softening to more sadness than just moments before. "Yes, Miza, we may go see your mother now. We should make sure she's tended to as well."

Aladdin didn't have time to question Tani as she took Miza away, following a crowd of villagers taking cover. Jasmine seemed to have the same question as Aladdin, but she shook her head. "I guess that's something we'll have to ask them later. I think we need to worry about the Deathseeker more."

Aladdin nodded. "Carpet and I can find Genie and meet up with him while you guys take cover."

Jasmine frowned. "Oh no, you don't. _I'm_ coming with you."

Abu whistled, while Iago ran a wing over his face. " _Great!_ Lover's Quarrel: Take 74."

"Jasmine, it's too dangerous for you guys to be anywhere near the Deathseeker," Before Aladdin could speak another word, Jasmine put one of her fingers to his lips to silence him.

"Oh, _I'm_ the one who needs to stay far away? I'm not the one walking straight into fighting that monster with a death wish." When Aladdin flinched, she realized her words went too far. Her expression softened. "Do you know its weakness?"

Aladdin started to protest, but he stopped short. "Wait, you...know."

She nodded, filling him in on the conversation between her and Genie the night before. She was surprised when Aladdin's expression went from horrific recognition to one of grim resolve. He clenched his fists at his sides.

"I figured as much; the nightmares I had really _were_ warnings, some of them even tidbits about his past. The nightmare I had last night makes more sense for where it took place in the sky. As much as I can't stand Arzin - he had a point about the Deathseeker torturing people for sport. Where is Arzin now?"

Jasmine shuddered. "With our luck, he's probably headed straight towards the demon. His vengeance at work, no doubt."

Aladdin slapped a fist into his open palm. "We've gotta stop him before he seriously gets himself killed! Now that we know the Deathseeker's weakness, I think I have a plan, guys. Let's hope Genie can hold on long enough for us to get there."

* * *

From the vantage point that Aladdin, Jasmine, Abu, a reluctant Iago, and Carpet had from the sky, Genie wasn't faring well in battle. Their semi-phenomenal friend was positioning himself between the Deathseeker and the edge of the beach. Even with Genie's multiple forms and taunts, the sea demon struck fast and brutally - taking some of the Genie clones in its mouth and gobbling them up for sport. Genie's clones screeched and scrambled.

"Aladdin, look! Isn't that Arzin down there?" Jasmine pointed a fair distance away from the scuffle, where Arzin was running down the length of the shoreline, a flaming sword in his hands.

 _Looks like he had the same idea we had,_ Aladdin thought. _If Genie was able to keep the Deathseeker away from the water this whole time, its skin should be dried out, and make it more susceptible to fire. That may be the key to destroying it. I wish the sun were out more, but it's still too early in the morning. The desert sun could've sped up its dehydration, but we don't have that luxury._ "Yeah, that's him, Jasmine. He might think he has an advantage on foot, but he's no match for that thing in speed. I'm going to try to back him up, even if he doesn't want the help."

"Be careful, Aladdin," Jasmine said, her tone weary. "We've got our part of the plan ready to go." Jasmine had a quiver of arrows dipped in a special solution where they would act as flame bombs to pepper the creature with from a distance. Aladdin had taken that idea from Genie's earlier attack on the creature.

"And I have mine ready too." Aladdin was able to use the sword Tani had given him as a flame blade. "I'm not sure how it may work, but better than letting the Deathseeker get too close to the village again. Let's go."

Aladdin lept from Carpet, landing safely on the sands just before Genie was knocked back by the Deathseeker. He sailed over Aladdin's head, landing just before the lapping waves of the shoreline.

 _You are not the one I wish to fight, magical one. I do not know why you waste my time protecting the humans,_ , the sea demon bellowed. _No matter, it seems the ones who wish to battle against me have finally shown themselves. The question is which human I shall peel flesh from first._

Aladdin stood his ground, though his body shuddered at the creature's threat. If Arzin had any fear, the determined man didn't appear to show it as he raised his flaming sword.

"Come at me, you wretched creature!" Arzin taunted. "I shall show you no mercy for what you've done to my brother, my village, and all who have perished in your wake!"

That prompted the Deathseeker to launch several of its arms simultaneously at Aladdin and Arzin. The two of them evaded the attack, with Aladdin using his flaming sword to slice off one of the limbs that almost bit at his arm. It was a clean cut, causing the Deathseeker to howl. But instead of the limb growing back, it remained a knob.

Aladdin felt a momentary surge of confidence. _I knew it! It's skin's so dry that it can't regenerate its limbs when we use the swords against it. That should make it easier to deal with even with how fast they are._

The Deathseeker howled in pain - it hadn't expected its own magic not to kick in. It bristled, launching another attack against Aladdin that came so fast the Prince was knocked from his feet, his sword spinning across the sands.

In the moment where Aladdin could've been skewered by the demon, Jasmine and Abu launched their attack on the creature from above, sending a flurry of flaming arrows that hit their target, causing parts of the Deathseeker's skin to catch fire. It's piercing scream echoed along the shoreline. Some of its limbs acted to use powerful breaths to calm the flames and keep them from spreading. It was a welcome distraction, Aladdin thought, enough to slow the demon down.

Arzin had just found his footing in slaying three of the creature's limbs permanently, but he bristled when he saw Jasmine's attack had more impact than either his or the Prince's. To Aladdin's horror, Arzin charged forward as he saw an opportunity to attack. But Arzin hadn't realized two of the creature's limbs had positioned themselves behind him and were ready to bite into his flesh.

"Arzin, _behind you_!" Aladdin cried, using his momentum to throw his body long enough to knock Arzin out of the path of the limbs as they charged. They ended up getting mouthfuls of sand, struggling to get out of the dune they'd charged into.

Aladdin tried to help Arzin to his feet, but Arzin surprised Aladdin with an attack of his own. He kicked the prince just to the side of his shin, causing the prince to fall to the sand and double over in pain.

"I never asked for you to intervene, _boy_." Arzin grabbed his sword from the sands, holding the flaming blade just inches from Aladdin's face. "I told you before - stand in my way..."

"I heard you the first time," Aladdin said through his clenched teeth.

"Then why do you _persist_?!"

Even as Arzin stood above Aladdin, the light of the flaming blade reflecting in his eyes, he wasn't paying attention to yet another of the Deathseeker's limbs that had inched up behind them. Its screech startled them both. Aladdin couldn't recover fast enough as the limb attacked, teeth clamping down on Arzin's swordarm. Arzin screamed, dropping his sword to the sand. Streams of blood ran hot and fast down the man's arm. Aladdin was almost certain that the teeth would rip Arzin's limb clean from the bone.

Except Genie decided to show up at the last minute with gigantic scissors. Genie used the scissors to cut through several of the Deathseeker's limbs like cutting through vines, including the one that held Arzin's arm in vice grip. The limb screeched, before disappearing in a puff of magical ash. Arzin almost felt to the sands, but Aladdin was able to catch him.

"Genie, you made it," Aladdin said, nearly breathless, but relieved.

"I always got ya, kid." Genie gave Aladdin a big wink. "Get Arzin out of here and get that arm looked at. I'll keep the Deathseeker distracted."

"Thanks." Aladdin took hold of Arzin, who at first resisted Aladdin's help, but ultimately gave in due to the pain in his arm.

"I do not...understand why...you continue to aid me," Arzin spoke between shuttered breaths as the two rushed away from where Genie did battle with several of the Deathseeker's arms.

Aladdin shook his head. "I don't hate you as much as you hate me. Though you make it pretty hard at times."

"I nearly...killed your so called companions. If you hate me..."

Aladdin cut him off with a look, even as he raced as fast as he could away from the Deathseeker. "Let's get this straight, Arzin. I don't want to fight you and I don't want to hate you. I want you to _understand me_. That means getting out of this _alive_. Plus, you keep forgetting about Miza and Tani. I'm not going to let you die and leave them behind. None of us will." Aladdin motioned above them, as Jasmine stood on Carpet to deliver another flurry of flaming arrows.

The Deathseeker howled, its voice booming to the skies above. _I may not be at my fullest power, but your petty distractions will not end me!_ The Deathseeker used one of it's limbs as a battering ram, knocking Carpet so hard it sent Jasmine, Abu, and Iago all screaming as they fell to the beach's sands.

At the same time, one of the Deathseeker's limbs had grabbed Genie and thrown him with such a mighty force that the semi-phenomenal being plunged into the sea, likely a further distance than even he could recover from quickly.

" _No!_ " Aladdin shouted, rushing as quickly as he could to where Jasmine and the others had fallen. Carpet shook himself, momentarily dazed (and slightly torn in his middle), by a few of the spines from the limbs and teeth of the Deathseeker.

Jasmine groaned as she sat up, holding the side of her head. Iago and Abu soon stirred after, but they all appeared unharmed.

"Well, we didn't have much of the fire fluid or arrows left, so it's just as well we made it this far," Jasmine said.

Aladdin pointed over to the Deathseeker. "I think you did more than enough - look. It's skin is still aflame and its weakened. But it's headed back to the shoreline. If it reaches the water..."

"Any effort put into its demise will be for nothing," Arzin finished sharply, cutting Aladdin short. He started moving forward, wrenching himself out of Aladdin's grasp, but he lost his footing. Carpet was quick to catch him just before he hit the ground. Aladdin went to help, but Arzin's glare stopped the prince short.

Jasmine glared at Arzin. "You're in no condition to fight. You're lucky you still have your arm intact." She looked at his bleeding arm and the way he struggled to take hold of his own sword.

All of them were stunned to silence as the Deathseeker's voice boomed in their minds. _Fools. I will not leave the surface without that which sustains me most - the blood of a human sacrifice. I will certainly enjoy bringing one of you to my domain to feed my power anew. So, who among you shall I choose? More to the point, whom shall I choose to die?_


	9. Chapter 9: Weightless

**Chapter 9: Weightless**

Aladdin gripped his flaming sword in both hands, staring where the Deathseeker loomed on the edge of the beach. Jasmine stood not too far from Aladdin, catching glimpses of two of the sea demon's limbs above their heads. Most of the Deathseeker's body was covered in actively burning flames. While it howled with pain, it appeared fixated on the group in a trance-like focus.

Aladdin was certain the demon couldn't physically see them, but it definitely knew they were there.

"It's like we're watchin' a gigantic snake about to strike," Iago said in a panic, flapping his wings. " _I don't wanna die!_ "

"Hush, Iago." Aladdin said in a low voice, his line of sight following Jasmine's. He realized the bird was right.

"The demon's already tasted our blood. I wonder if it's trying to choose familiarity over novelty." Arzin said under his breath, though Aladdin realized the man was referring to him as well. The wound on Aladdin's side pulsed with fresh pain. He wondered if sometime while fighting against the Deathseeker he'd reopened the wound.

"What do you think we should do?" Jasmine said in a low voice to Aladdin.

"Genie could come in handy right about now. I wonder what's taking him so long to get back to the surface," Aladdin said.

Jasmine's eyes widened. "You think he's caught in some kind of trap?"

"This whole thing screams _TRAP!_ " Iago said, before realizing his loud voice made the sea demon more irate. Abu covered Iago's beak with both paws, leaving the parrot muttering incoherently.

"Precisely why I thought the bird would've made a perfect sacrifice," Arzin muttered.

Aladdin glared at Arzin out the corner of his eye. It wasn't lost on Aladdin that Arzin had admitted to what he'd done to Iago and Abu. He couldn't place whether or not Arzin had admitted it in a moment of weakness or if he didn't care about getting caught. He wondered if it had anything to do with Arzin's shifting humanity, something the Deathseeker mentioned in Aladdin's nightmare.

The Deathseeker's limbs turned and twisted in mid-air, their spines reflecting the steadily rising sun on the horizon. Aladdin couldn't help but draw parallels of the red light of the rising sun to blood, making think of the nightmare he'd had more recently. It made his skin crawl.

 _Know this, mortals._ the Deathseeker said in a low rumble that made all who stood on the beach feel the weight of the words. _Any sacrifice by my choosing will be a source of power for the rebirth of a god._

"Forgive me for being blunt, but I don't think being your sacrifice is such a worthy cause," Aladdin said, his brows narrowed.

The Deathseeker hissed, its teeth bared.

Jasmine stepped forward, nodding towards Aladdin. "None of us wants to be a means to your selfish ends. You underestimate humans if you think we'll fall that easily."

Arzin finally had a grip on his own sword, though his arm continued to bleed from the mangled flesh of his wound. "Do your worst, demon," he said through clenched teeth. "You've no wings to fly...have nowhere but to fall further into the abyss of ruin and the flames upon your flesh. You...are the definition...of a failed god."

 _ENOUGH!_ The Deathseeker roared as its limbs descended hard into the earth, kicking up enough sands to cloud over the group, making it hard to see around them.

Aladdin, Jasmine, Arin, Abu, and Iago all coughed from the plume of sand and dirt. Carpet tried valiantly to fly around to clear the murky air, but it was too great to clear but only portions.

Aladdin kept having to close his eyes because the air around them burned from sand and smoke. _Of course it would do something like this, I can barely see two steps forward as it is_.

"Aladdin?" He heard Jasmine call for him between her own gasps for air. He could just barely make out her form in the haze, but he quickly realized what was readying to strike behind her.

" _Jasmine!_ " Aladdin shouted. Jasmine turned sharply, screaming as one of the sharp sets of teeth narrowly missed clamping down on her shoulder. The set of teeth caught a mouthful of her hair. Aladdin took the opportunity to strike it with his flaming sword, not hard enough to cut through it. It only did enough damage to catch the flesh of the limb aflame, making it release Jasmine's hair in a move that undid her braid.

Aladdin grabbed Jasmine's hand and ran as fast as he could on foot.

"I can't see anything, much less where we're running to!" Jasmine said, coughing furiously. "How do we know we're going the right way?"

Aladdin managed to get enough breath to whistle loudly. He knew Carpet wasn't too far away from the rush of air in front of them. He and Jasmine boarded the half torn flying rug, just before taking to the skies.

They flew above the clouded area, a miniature sandstorm from the sheer force of the Deathseeker striking the ground. They saw Iago and Abu crawl just to the edge of the clearance, coughing furiously. Aladdin directed Carpet to get close enough to them, Aladdin scooping Abu into his arms while Jasmine grabbed Iago by the tail.

" _Ow, ow, ow!_ Easy on the _plumage_ , Princess!" Iago complained just before Jasmine eased him onto Carpet's surface.

"That leaves most of us accounted for, " Aladdin said, but he gasped he saw Arzin lying on the ground, hand clutching his bloody arm as one of the remaining limbs of the Deathseeker hovered close.

"Carpet, take us over there, quick!" Jasmine said. Carpet gave a brief salute with one of his knobs before flying towards Arzin. But Aladdin realized quickly that the Deathseeker had other plans in mind, as two of its unburned limbs readied an attack.

"Carpet, swerve! _Swerve!_ " Aladdin cried. But it was too late as the two limbs, like battering rams, knocked Carpet at full force, causing everyone the rug carried to fall from the sky. Jasmine hit the ground hard enough to rattle her senses. Abu hit the ground not far from where Arzin lay, but recovered quick enough to catch Iago just before the bird crashed into him. Iago heaved a sigh of relief, using his wing to wipe his brow.

Carpet was pinned to the ground by one of the Deathseeker's heavy, though seemingly immovable limbs. Aladdin never made it to the ground, as the one remaining limb that the Deathseeker used caught him midair and coiled around his body like a snake - spines digging hard into his body. He yelled, struggling against the grip of the demon, but for every movement he made, the Deathseeker's grip tightened.

The Deathseeker's laugh echoed along the beach. _I warned you, foolish mortal. I will gladly squeeze every last drop of life you have left._

Jasmine watched in horror as blood blossomed on Aladdin's tunic where the demon wrapped its limb around Aladdin's body. But the demon didn't realize that Aladdin had managed to keep his grip on his flaming sword. She watched as Aladdin plunged the sword into the demon's flesh, catching the limb aflame. Jasmine took the opportunity to grab Arzin's flaming sword, plunging it into another part of the Deathseeker to help Aladdin weaken it.

The Deathseeker howled. Before Jasmine could process what the sea demon would do, it released its hold on Aladdin, throwing his body like a limp rag doll towards the ocean.

" _Aladdin!_ " Jasmine cried as he disappeared beneath the waves.

* * *

Genie wasn't sure how he became trapped behind the portal he'd fallen through. One moment he'd been tossed into the sea by the Deathseeker. The next a whirlpool underwater had sucked him rapidly onto dry land beyond a magic portal. He realized he was in an underground cove with water lapping against a red clay shoreline. The caves and rocky pathways held the same hue, leading to a twisted pathway that Genie could only see a few lengths beyond. He thought about exploring it for another way out, but he was convinced there had to be a way through the portal that brought him there. He could see the ocean from which he'd come within its shimmering light. However, each time he tried to leap through it, the portal shot him backward like a boomerang. There were at least two rocky impressions of Genie's body in the area opposite the portal where it had slammed him into the wall.

Genie watched as his teeth shattered, leaving his mouth empty. He used his magic and replaced his teeth with a gruff motion. "I've been trapped down here for way too long. Hmmm." He looked down the pathway behind him, noting a long, winding cavern that led the way above ground in whatever dimension he'd landed in.

"Maybe if I give myself enough momentum, I can shoot myself past the portal sucking me back in. It's a little tricky, but it just might work," Genie said. He used his magic to make a series of boomerang bands along the length of the pathway. He pulled himself as far back as he could with all the bands, readying himself to vault through the portal.

After counting to three, Genie launched himself through the portal at a furious speed, hurdling past the pull of the portal trying to suck him into the other dimension. He realized he was a safe enough distance from the portal that he heaved a sigh of relief underwater (after all, Genies can breathe - and speak - underwater).

" _Finally!_ That took _way_ longer than I thought it would." He stopped short as a massive shadow passed close by, blocking what little light that shown through the water. Genie yelped, finding a group of sea barnacles to hide behind as the shadow passed overhead and out of his range.

"The Deathseeker, _great!_ " Genie said under his breath, his voice carrying all the sarcasm he could muster. He removed himself from his hiding place to watch as it drifted away. "So the sea demon managed to get back in the water? Man, after all that time and effort, it's probably weak but not to the point of destroying it...man." He stopped short, his eyes widened in horror. "Wait, if it's down here, then that means...Al...the others! I gotta get back up there!"

Genie began swimming upwards, his legs and feet transforming into webbed animal limbs much like a frog's. It propelled him quickly, enough to where he could've made it to the surface in a good amount of time. Yet, another shadow passed by him, something that Genie caught out the corner of his vision. It wasn't just the shadow that caught Genie's attention, but rather what surrounded the shadow as it quickly descended past him.

"Is that blood?" Genie realized whatever or whomever drifted past him, they were badly wounded. He had a good guess as to what happened.

Genie bristled. "If the Deathseeker did that to them, who knows what else it might do. Better see if I can help them out, if they're even still alive." Genie turned around, realizing that the wounded figure was drifting back down towards the way Genie came. Back to the vortex leading to the magic portal and the other dimension. Genie started swimming faster.

"If I don't get to them soon, they're gonna be stuck in that other world, just like I was! Come on, feet, don't fail me now!" Genie said, picking up his speed as the distance between him and the figure increased. It wasn't until Genie reached a close enough, but just out of reach motion that he was able to finally see whom he was trying to save. The light from the surface of the ocean was dim, but enough to reveal the figure's familiar, tattered, blood stained tunic.

Genie's eyes went wide as he yelled for Aladdin, but it wasn't just the sight of his friend being near death that scared him. The Deathseeker had noticed them at that very moment.

With a howl that vibrated through the deep waters, the sea demon and former sky god headed straight for them.


	10. Chapter 10: Wanted, Dead or Alive?

**Chapter 10: Wanted, Dead or Alive?**

Genie didn't have time to think as the Deathseeker advanced. He rushed forward, wrapping his arms around Aladdin as the portal sucked them in, barely giving them time to escape the demon's sharp fangs. Genie was able to soften the blow of their landing in the other dimension, using his magic to conjure a large mattress, which gradually deflated and transformed into a blanket which Aladdin lay upon, his clothes and hair still dripping with water from the ocean. Yet Genie realized that Aladdin wasn't moving or breathing, his skin like ice to the touch.

"Come on, Al. Come on, kid, wake up," Genie said. It took several long moments and a few creative methods on Genie's part (bongo drums didn't work as he hoped they would). But Aladdin stirred, gasping and coughing up water. The prince never fully woke, but Genie thanked his luck getting Aladdin to breathe.

Genie sighed. "I gotta get you out of here. Not exactly the safest place being in an unknown world or underwater with an angry demon hunting the two of us."

An unexpected voice called out. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, friend. Your companion's human and has lost too much blood, from the look of it. He'll be dead before you reach the surface, and that's assuming the demon doesn't get to either of you first."

When Genie looked up, he saw a tall, slightly stocky man with a long brown cloak. The figure had a long thick beard and thick locks of hair that was gathered into a tie. His clothes were very worn beneath the cloak, reminding Genie of the first time he met Aladdin in the Cave of Wonders. He wondered if the man had once been a street urchin himself, though he had Aladdin beat in age by a slim number of years. If Genie could guess, maybe about half a decade, but it was hard to tell.

The man shuffled his feet in his hand-made sandals. "Do you mind if I take a look at him? I'm a healer who grows medicinal herbs. Something of a necessity when you live in a place like this."

Genie sighed. "Well, considering you gave me such helpful advice, you can't be as dangerous as the thing we just escaped." He moved aside, allowing the man to kneel beside Aladdin. Aladdin didn't wake, but the man could tell that the prince was in a great deal of pain.

"He definitely has some deep wounds, and he's slightly feverish, probably won't improve as long as he stays in these damp clothes or in any place with this amount of moisture. My quarters are a little more dry." He gave Genie a small smile. "You're welcome to come along. Any man or being that's an enemy of the Deathseeker is a friend to me. And well, I haven't had many friends who've survived long enough to see these parts. You two are the first I've seen in a long time."

Genie smiled a little. "I wish we were meeting under better circumstances. I'm the one and only, minty fresh and exquisite Genie of the LAMP! No substitutes necessary." With each word, Genie showed off his powers by making himself grow bigger in size and transform into a number of different figures - including a doctor, lawyer, herbal salesman, and chef - before transforming back to his original form.

The man laughed. "Ah, I guessed you were a being that possessed some powerful magic. I suppose the young man here is a friend of yours."

Genie's jovial expression turned to one of sadness as he nodded towards Aladdin. "Yeah, one of my best friends in an entire millenia. He's..."

Before Genie could say another word, several teeth bearing limbs shot into the portal at that moment, nearly chomping down on both the man and Aladdin both. Genie's semi-phenomenal reflexes were fast, pushing against the giant, snake like forms as they attempted to attack.

"The Deathseeker, here?!" The man said, startled. "It hasn't been able to do that in I don't know how long - that portal's usually good for keeping things in as well as out."

Genie grunted, trying to push the limbs back through the portal. He was not only fighting against the strength of the Deathseeker, but also against the force that was helping to push the sea demon through. "Yeah, well, when you have an angry, former god trying to kill you, it goes without saying they'll try to go through any space to finish the job." Genie looked back at the man. "I'd...hate to ask a favor, but can you...?"

"Take him to safety while you handle that thing?" The man was already two steps ahead of Genie, helping Aladdin to a point where he could support carrying the prince away from the area. "What's his name?"

"Aladdin. Please...hurry...I'll...find a way back...somehow..." Genie shoved with all his might, thrusting himself and the Deathseeker's limbs through the portal to where they disappeared in flash of blinding light.

The man looked down at Aladdin, nodding, though he knew Aladdin was in no shape to respond to him. "Aladdin, eh? Strong name for a strong young man. You must be a special one to have a friend like that fighting for you. Still, I'll make sure you stay alive until he gets back. Wouldn't be able to call myself a healer if I didn't."

The man winced, regretting his choice of words for a reason he couldn't speak further on. He shook his head, then helped carry Aladdin through the narrow corridor, as far and as quickly away from the portal as they could possibly get.

* * *

Gloloria was very quiet that night, and Tani couldn't help but think that despite the calm waters that lapped against the shoreline, the town had its own turbulence to deal with. The Deathseeker's attack had left them all alarmed and on edge, and it had taken a while for her to piece together the events of the long day, and the beginning of an even longer night.

She recognized her son's approach from behind her well before he began to speak. "I take it the Princess is asleep in your cabin for the night. As are his companions, I presume?"

Tani sighed, nodding slowly. "The poor girl was so distraught that it took forever to calm her. She still wanted to go back to the beach to search for Aladdin, even though we'd already searched for hours." She took a long look at her son, who didn't meet her expression as he looked towards the beach. "You never told me everything that happened, Arzin."

He snorted, but his voice held no humor. "What's there to tell? The sea demon tore him apart and tossed his body to the waves. Same thing that happened to Ezele."

Tani's expression darkened, her tone more firm. "How can you be so _callous_ about this? A man is _dead_ and you speak of him as if he were nothing more than something to _toss aside_? I didn't raise you to be this way, Arzin. Your brother's life mattered. Aladdin's life mattered."

"Aladdin was a fool." Arzin snapped. "Him and Ezele both. Their blind ambition killed them both. Heroes who march into battle without plans are no heroes at all. I warned him - his existence was nothing without his Genie or his magic carpet. And even they only bought him time and luck for what eventually came to be."

"You call _his plan_ luck? He had the same idea to carry the flaming swords as you did. You call his attempts to help you luck? Your arm would've had to be cut off if the demon had torn through it any more than it did." Tani said between her teeth, her eyes momentarily looking over Arzin's bandaged arm. "You wouldn't be alive if Aladdin hadn't stepped in when he did. I could say the same of your brother back then as well."

"Bringing Ezele into this is a low blow, _mother_ ," Arzin said through his own teeth. "Even so, Aladdin wasn't half the man that Ezele was."

"Aladdin was just as much of a man as Ezele, I firmly believe that as I was the one who raised Ezele, same as you. And while we're on the subject, _both of them_ were more men than you, as I believe your heart has become as dark and twisted as that demon's blood," she said, staring hard into her son's eyes. Arzin looked taken aback, his shock transforming to a sudden, swelling anger. But before Arzin could speak, Tani held up her hand. "I'm not here to spar words with you, Arzin. I wondered if you knew - or even cared - about how your niece was doing in the aftermath of all this. She's with her mother now, you could very well go see them both. I warn you, though - I don't think Miza wants to see you, not in the least right now. But I would urge you to try."

Before Arzin could ask why, Tani turned on her heel, walking away from him. She blinked away tears, though she wondered if they were from the cold air around her, or from the thought that her son was just as heartless as the creature that terrorized their town.

She hadn't known Aladdin for very long, but the young prince's loss weighed heavily on her heart. Tani recalled Aladdin's brief exchange with her before he'd set off to fight the Deathseeker. He'd smiled, giving her a small salute just before boarding his magic carpet.

 _Don't worry, ma'am, I'll make sure we get Arzin back as soon as we can, and keep the sea demon far away from the village. Promise. Miza needs him, and I know you want him back safe too. I don't want the same thing that happened to her father or any of the other villagers here to happen to him. This cycle has to stop somewhere, and it's gonna stop with me._

She wondered if there was so much more to lose than the events of that day. She didn't really want to find out.

* * *

Abu was almost finished stitching Carpet back together, at least on his end of the task. Iago wasn't making that much progress on the other end of Carpet. Carpet appeared to be snoozing from the look of his knobs, though a few times when Iago pulled the thread too tight, he appeared to wince.

"I'm doin' the best I can here, Rug! Be grateful!" Iago said, groaning. "It's hard to sew when your feathers keep splitting the thread. I wasn't made for this kind of labor. Ugh." Iago met Abu's raised brow with a hard look. "Don't look at me like that, monkey."

Abu rolled his eyes and sighed. His screeched low and sadly while brushing a few tears from his eyes. "Aladdin. Genie."

Iago stopped sewing, putting aside the needles and plopping down beside where Carpet slept. "I thought putting together Rug Man here would take me off the trauma of tonight, but honestly - it's not helpin'. Genie's magic would've gotten this done lickety split. Still...you really don't think Al's dead, do ya? He's lived through worse than this - he couldn't have just been taken out like that, right?"

Abu wasn't sure that he could answer Iago's questions, or if he even wanted to considering the truth was hard to come by. He put a paw to his mouth, gesturing over to the closed bedroom door in the far corner of Tani's hut where Jasmine slept.

Iago sighed. "I shouldn't have to keep my voice down for Jas's benefit, we _all_ saw what happened. We're _all_ gonna have nightmares for _days_. Anyway, if we're gonna go back to Agrabah tomorrow, we'll have to tell the Sultan that Genie's gone, Al's gone, and he's one down for an heir."

Abu glared at Iago out of the corner of his eye, scowling.

"What'd I say? The truth hurts, monkey." Iago shrugged, but paused long enough that Abu realized Iago was just as upset as he was. "Just didn't think it was gonna hurt this bad."

* * *

 _He wanted to throw up, though he doubted that his stomach had anything left to give. His eyes adjusted to the darkness of a cave, and he had the feeling he was just on the inside of place where there was nothing to do but hide. It searched for him. No, not searched, watched. It hunted him. It confirmed the truth._

 _I know where you are, it's only a matter of time before I reach you._

 _The voice rumbled and echoed around him, wrapping around him like a suffocating blanket. His mind raced as he tried to determine where he was._

 _You only know the faintest taste of death, it said. I can make you see it for what it is: a_ _shadow. A shadow that will always follow you, until it decides to consume you._

 _He saw the silhouettes at the end of the cave, the limbs of the demon that coiled like cobras and bared their teeth and spines in the shadows of a blinding red light that came from behind them. He couldn't see them well without squinting, his eyes blurring, stinging with fresh pain. But while the figures at the end of the cave didn't move toward him, their shadows did, lengthening along the floor of the cave until it merged with his own._

 _He didn't realize that the shadow had taken shape into a form behind him until it grabbed his body in its clutches, holding him captive high in the air. He struggled against the shadows that held his arms, legs and torso, but they tightened around him in a vice-like grip. As he looked above him, eyes wide, he realized the shadows were taking the shape of something. Something too familiar to him and filled him with a building dread._

 _The snake shadows merged into a sharpened point, a long blade that gleamed black and shining. From the angle it had in the cave, and the red light made it seem like the blade was on fire._

 _This is Vengeance._

 _The blade positioned itself over his heart._

 _This is Death._

 _The blade rushed down._

 _Farewell, Aladdin._

When Aladdin woke from the nightmare, he thought he'd actually been stabbed through the heart. His fingers searched for the hilt of the sword, the weight on his chest felt heavy and made it hard for him to breathe as he gasped for air. But he realized quickly the weight on his chest wasn't a blade or weight at all, but an all too tight bandage. A bandage of...leaves?

"What is...this?" Aladdin sat up in a bed he didn't remember laying in, realized several parts of his skin were wrapped in green bandages that looked like leaves. It took him several moments to remember what happened and that the wounds from the attack he'd suffered tangling with the Deathseeker weren't nearly as bad as he remembered. Or had they been? His thoughts waded through his mind like a slow fog.

"Seriously, I thought it was worse than this - I thought...I thought I was dead..." he said aloud. Aladdin didn't realize someone had been listening until he heard a voice from another room.

"You almost were, my good man. Good to see you're finally awake. I bet your Genie would be very happy if he were here." The unfamiliar man, dressed in a long dark robe and sporting tied back hair and a full beard, appeared in the cave room entrance to look at Aladdin with concern. He carried what appeared to be a set of clothes and some handmade blankets. He set them down and took a seat in a makeshift stool at the foot of Aladdin's bed. "I apologize for the lack of comfortable accomodations. When you're living as a cave dweller, you try to make the space you're living in as best as you can. I'm lucky I have a green thumb to know what plants and materials can be made in these parts. They don't call me a healer for nothing."

"I...wait, what? Where? How? Who?" Aladdin found his words jumbled, so much so that the man laughed a hearty chuckle at the prince's fumbling.

"You're full of questions, aren't you? One thing at a time. First tell me how you are."

Aladdin took a slow steady breath, which calmed him a little. "Freaked out, honestly. I don't remember how I got here."

"That I can answer. The Deathseeker chased you and your Genie down into this dimension. Genie brought you here."

" _Dimension?!_ Is Genie okay? Where is he?"

The man sighed, his somewhat light expression fading to something more somber. "Still fighting off the Deathseeker, I think. At first he was stuck behind the portal when he arrived here, tried a number of creative ways to get out. I wanted to talk to him at first because I saw him come in, but I wasn't sure if he was friend or foe. For a time he was able to escape, but then when he returned, he brought you with him. Then, the Deathseeker tried to enter...you probably don't remember any of that, do you?"

Aladdin shook his head, raking his damp hair out of his eyes with his fingers. "No, I don't."

"Well, that's a story I only know a portion of. I didn't have the chance to talk more to him, other than getting his name and yours as well, Aladdin. Other than that, I don't know much about you. I just know you're the first to be trapped down here with me in a long time - I wasn't about to let you die."

That statement sobered Aladdin rather quickly, his breath catching. "T-Thanks. Somehow that doesn't feel like enough to say, considering..." He winced, doubling at the waist as a sharp pain twisted at his gut.

The man smiled a little. "Still not healed yet, it seems. But you're on the way, that's what counts." The man took the stack clothes off the top of the heap he'd carried, handing them to Aladdin. "Here's something to replace the clothes that were ruined when you came here, since I don't think you want to walk in these parts just wearing leaf bandages. Sorry, your old clothes were too torn, bloody and wet for me to salvage. The Deathseeker did a number on you. I hope you don't mind the replacement being made from rags."

Aladdin snorted as he looked at the clothes. "These look fine. I grew up on the streets of Agrabah - I know a little something about wearing rags. These are actually better. You made them?"

"Like I said, some skills come in handy, specially if you're in survival mode. I'm just glad you're okay, Aladdin. I'll let you get dressed and then we'll talk more. Maybe I can jog your memory a little and you can tell me what happened." He started to leave, but Aladdin's voice stopped him.

"Yeah, it's the least I can do to thank you...um..."

The man winced. "Yeah, I know your name, but I just realized I never told you mine. Ha, sorry, my people skills are rusty. Might as well say I'm like a ghost." He shrugged, but held out his hand to Aladdin.

"I'm Ezele."


	11. Chapter 11: Semi Phenomenal Cosmic Power

**Chapter 11: Semi-Phenomenal Cosmic Powered Nuisance**

Arzin made his way further inland, walking towards the hut where Tani said his niece and her mother would be. It was true that Miza lived with Arzin - it was so that he could keep a close eye on her, take care of her where Miza's mother, Yirya, couldn't. Not because she wouldn't take care of her, but Yirya had met a cruel fate before Ezele met his own end.

About a year before the incident that killed Ezele, the Deathseeker attacked the town in the middle of the night, which left the villagers scrambling for shelter. Yirya had been bitten by one of the demon's long limbs as she'd protected one of the other children of the village. The demon's attention was taken up by several of the villagers - including Arzin - distracting the demon from attacking Yirya further. Arzin wasn't sure if it was a reaction to the magic or a poison from the Deathseeker, but Yirya had been in a coma-like sleep ever since that day. Ezele was distraught, but loyally brought his daughter to visit Yirya, up to the day that Arzin saw Ezele's life taken by the Deathseeker.

Arzin felt better when Miza visited her mother. He never restricted her from seeing Yirya, especially since the residence was far enough from the shore. Yet, as he stood at the half opened door to the room where Miza sat at her mother's bedside, he quickly realized he wouldn't like the conversation between them. She held her mother's hand gently in hers, speaking as if her mother were alert and listening to every word Miza said.

"...You would have liked him, Mama. I wish you could've met him. He was really strong, brave, smart, funny...and most people in the village really liked him too. Aladdin wasn't here for very long, but...it's like he could've been a part of our village if he hadn't grown up in Agrabah. I wonder what that was like...living in an actual city with multiple merchants and travelers." Miza paused, thinking long about something. "Miza thinks she'll go traveling someday. Aladdin had told me he and Jasmine have travelled all over the seven deserts. Uncle Arzin won't like those plans, but Miza thinks he'll have to live with it." She pouted, but her expression changed to one of melancholy, so much that Arzin could see her eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Miza misses Aladdin. Miza wishes...I wish the Deathseeker didn't take so many people away from us. I wish he hadn't taken you away. Or Papa. I wish he hadn't taken away Uncle Arzin either. I miss him too."

 _But I'm still alive_ , Arzin wanted to say. He felt his anger boil again. Didn't she realize how much he was doing to protect her? What had she meant by him being taken away by the Deathseeker? And it was always Aladdin, Aladdin, _Aladdin_. Aladdin's name had been breathed at least once by every villager in Gloloria for the past day. Some observed Arzin's gruff expression at the mention and had fallen silent when he passed, but he could hear the whispered stories the former street urchin had told them in passing.

That was yet another reason why Arzin hated Aladdin - he had given them hope that things would change. That the Deathseeker could actually be defeated. It was a hope that Arzin hadn't seen since his brother was alive. He hated that, for just one moment, he'd thought differently as well.

How wrong he was.

He turned and left his niece to be alone with her mother. He decided the sooner the Agrabah group left town for good, the better.

He wouldn't hesitate to speed their exit if he had to.

* * *

It had been more than a full day since the Deathseeker's attack, and Jasmine woke before dawn to search the coastline, both above and beneath the waves. In great news for the town, the Deathseeker had not emerged from the ocean since the group fought against it. However, there was no sign of Aladdin or Genie either.

Jasmine found it hard to have hope when it seemed everyone else in town was certain of their demise. Carpet had been reluctant to take her to the shoreline just outside of the town's vicinity, but she wouldn't give up. She'd left Iago and Abu to finish packing at Tani's hut. Today would be the last day she could...would do any searches before going back to Agrabah. Tani had convinced her to rest from the searches long enough to recover her strength, but Jasmine felt she hadn't truly slept. She wouldn't since she didn't feel like reliving the Deathseeker's attack in her dreams.

After emerging from the ocean from a long dive, Jasmine saw something that caught her eye on the surface of the waves. She swam quickly, grabbing it just before it sank. As she emerged from the water, she opened her hand to see a familiar sight, one that nearly took her breath away. She poured the water out of it, before cradling it between her palms like a lotus flower.

Carpet had been flying impatiently along the shoreline, but stopped and peered over Jasmine's shoulder when he realized she'd found something. "It's Aladdin's fez," she said softly. "It must've washed up from the current. First sign of either of them we've seen in the past day. I'm surprised it's not more damaged than it is." She looked up at Carpet. "Do you think I'm wasting my time, Carpet? Do you think they're really...?" She couldn't finish the thought, her eyes welling with tears. Carpet gave her a hug, his knobs stroking the top of Jasmine's dampened hair as she started to cry, long quiet sobs that she'd held back only because she was more focused on the search.

When she pulled away, she nodded to Carpet. "Let's keep looking. It may that we won't like what we find but I can't stop searching until I know what happened to them. If we don't find them by sunset, then...we'll leave for Agrabah and let Father know what happened."

Carpet nodded, his knobs drooping with his own sadness.

* * *

Aladdin's eyes widened at the man in front of him; he couldn't move, not even to shake Ezele's hand. "It can't be. You're...alive?"

Ezele raised one eyebrow at Aladdin. "Last time I checked. You know who I am, it seems."

"Yeah, I was staying in Gloloria when..." Aladdin stopped, trying to find his words. "You're Tani's son, Arzin's brother, Miza's father..."

Ezele's face paled in the dim firelight of the room. It took a while for him to find his words, his voice more quiet and pondering. "How long has it been?"

"Five years. How did you survive all this time?"

Ezele nodded, his brow narrowed. "If you're feeling up to it, follow me. I'll show you."

Aladdin donned the clothes that Ezele had given him and followed the man through the winding curves of his makeshift home. Ezele talked as the moved through the path. Aladdin was stunned to see several rooms that were decorated with handmade furnishings, and even a room where Ezele had dedicated the area to growing plants that didn't need sunlight. "If I were a man who had claustrophobic tendencies or lacked training in growing healing plants and food, I would not have survived down here long. I used to have a similar role when I lived in Gloloria with my family. I helped the village with medicines and growing a prosperous farm. A run in with the Deathseeker changed all that, of course. There were a few others down here who rescued me when I was near death."

"What happened to them?" Aladdin was almost afraid to ask.

"It's as you think. The Deathseeker got to them, but only because they stayed near the entrance to the portal. Still, your Genie made it through, as did you. Perhaps..." Ezele stopped walking, turning to look back at Aladdin over his shoulder. "If there's any chance to return to the surface, it may lie with the two of you. Your Genie doesn't seem to be one that could die at the hands of the Deathseeker."

"He's semi-phenomenal, nearly cosmic powered, I'm still worried Genie will get hurt even with that advantage." Aladdin said. "But I know Genie would give the Deathseeker a hard time. Enough to give us time to figure out how to destroy it."

Ezele laughed. "Semi-phenomenal cosmic powered nuisance. I like it."

Aladdin grinned. "I like it too. If Genie were here, I bet he'd like the title." His smile faded as quickly as it came. He looked back towards the way they came, down the tunnel to the place where he knew the portal lie.

"You really are worried about him," Ezele mused, turning to Aladdin and folding his arms across his chest.

"Not just him," Aladdin admitted. "I'm worried about everyone on the surface. In Gloloria. My friends...if the Deathseeker gets to them, I don't know what to think."

"Aladdin, you're in no condition..."

"Don't tell me that I can't fight!" Aladdin said, his brows narrowed. "I have to try. We've managed to weaken the Deathseeker once, we can do it again. If we were able to do that, then there's gotta be a way to destroy it. I know that much." He took a shaky breath. "I know another thing too - if the Deathseeker expects me to just stay down here and die, it's wrong."

Ezele didn't say it aloud, but he was impressed with Aladdin's nerve to march into what was certain danger. He also worried that if Aladdin knew of his concerns and his intent to stop Aladdin from doing anything rash, the prince would march ahead even with the wounds that still covered his body. He knew then there was only one option for them to take.

Ezele groaned and threw up his hands in exasperation, but Aladdin quickly realized Ezele's actions were humored. "Well then, I suppose we have no choice. We may be fools about to march to our doom against an all-powerful former god that is even giving a semi-phenomenal Genie a hard time. BUT!" He walked to Aladdin's side, putting his arm around the prince's shoulders. "We'll just have to find our way out of here, won't we?"

Aladdin nodded. "Right. Let's go."

Aladdin and Ezele made their way back to the portal, though Aladdin realized Ezele lagged behind, seemingly weary of the dimensional object that stood before them.

"You okay, Ezele?" Aladdin asked.

The man reached a hand behind his head, his eyes downcast. "Forgive me. It's been...years. The way out has always been here, but I feared the thing that lay behind it. There's no telling that it may be lingering there now."

Aladdin admitted to himself that's what kept him from going more than a foot's length to the portal. He hadn't remember arriving in this dimension, but he remembered the pain well enough. His hand found one of the wounds at his side, patched up by the healing leaves Ezele used. The wound wasn't as bad, but he could feel a dull ache lingering enough to bother him.

"It may still be on the other side, but we have to try something," Aladdin said, taking several steps forward until he was at arms length from the portal. He reached his hand out until it grazed the opening, then went through, making the portal shimmer.

Ezele's mouth dropped open. "You're probably the first who's been able to walk right up to it and do that. Most have tried to rush through it, only to be thrown right back inside this dimension. Your Genie had quite a time with it coming in."

Aladdin shook his head. "Something tells me that getting through this portal isn't as easy as just stepping through. This dimension might be one world, but on the other side of this is a whole ocean. There has to be something...what?" Aladdin felt a sudden pressure against his body, and before he knew it, the force of the magic portal threw him off his feet backward, making him yell in shock and pain. He hit the ground hard enough to rattle his teeth.

"Aladdin!" Ezele rushed to Aladdin's side as the prince groaned.

"Guess I should've expected that. _Ow_. I'm good, just sore."

Ezele sighed, helping the prince to his feet. "I don't think you would've noticed because you were too close to it. Look, something's trying to come in."

The two of them stepped back as the glowing portal started flashing with quicker intensity. Sure enough, something shot out of it so quickly that it flew over both Aladdin and Ezele's heads, making them dive to the ground impulsively. It wasn't until Aladdin looked that he noticed the familiar blue form in an impression that was already made in the rocky wall that he realized who it was.

" _Genie!_ You're okay!" Aladdin said, getting to his feet and rushing over to his friend.

Genie was a little too stunned at first, needing Aladdin and Ezele both to pull him away from the rocky, underground wall. Several cartoon birds flew around Genie's head in a halo to show how dizzy the semi-phenomenal being was.

When Genie came to his senses, he beamed at the sight of Aladdin. " _AL! YOU'RE OKAY!_ My buddy, my pal." He took Aladdin in his massive arms and gave the prince a hug that wasn't exactly kind on Aladdin's wounds. Aladdin winced.

"I would say I'm still in one piece. Not so tight, Genie."

Ezele chuckled, shaking his head. "He's still recovering, and it may be a while before he's fully healed, even with my curatives."

Genie set Aladdin gently down onto the ground. "Sorry kid. Got a little choked up there considering how bad off you were when we came here. Wish I could've stayed here longer to thank...wait...I don't think I got your name, unless I've lived one too many millenia and been through enough trauma in the last several days to forget your name." He turned to Ezele, who shrugged.

Aladdin nodded. "There probably wasn't enough time for you guys to get introduced. "Genie, this is Ezele. Ezele, Genie."

Genie's mouth dropped all the way to the floor. "Seriously? He's..."

"Tani's son, Arzin's brother, Miza's father." Ezele said, deadpanning. "Aladdin filled me in on how he knew me earlier on."

Genie had a horrified expression on his face. "So...either I've gone to Genie Heaven from one too many encounters with the Deathseeker and you two are here, or we're all alive and Ezele's been trapped down here for five years."

Aladdin rolled his eyes. "I don't know if there's really a 'Genie Heaven' or not, but we're all still here. _Alive_."

Genie wiped his brow. " _Phew_. Good to know."

"That leaves a few questions - where's the Deathseeker now? What happened while you were beyond the portal?" Ezele asked.

Genie's expression grew more somber. "Well, it's not like I could swim more than several strides before running into the Deathseeker. Good news is that he's definitely weakened from where we attacked him on the beach. Bad news...well, there's three parts to the bad news." Genie held up four fingers at first, but corrected himself, sporting a sly grin to boot.

Aladdin folded his arms across his chest, speaking in warning tone. "Genie..."

"I'm not trying to hide it, it's just...well..." Genie winced. "How do I put this? The lesser of the bad news is that I wasn't able to reach the surface at all. So Jasmine and the others probably think something horrible happened to the two of us. I would say three of us, but everyone thinks Ezele's dead and I didn't know his name until now. Sorry, Ezele."

Ezele groaned. "Go on, what's the other two pieces of 'worst' news?"

"Second piece: the Deathseeker's regaining some of its strength from being in the water. We definitely weakened it, but some of its limbs were able to grow back and it took more than a few chunks out of me with its teeth. I don't think you guys would've been so lucky if you tangled with it."

"What's the third thing?" Aladdin said, swallowing a hard lump in his throat.

Genie spoke so fast that Aladdin couldn't catch what the semi-phenomenal being said, but Ezele got the message, his expression turning to one of alarm.

"Wait, _what?_ I didn't hear him." Aladdin said. "Genie, you did that on purpose!"

"Only because we don't really have time to discuss it," Ezele said, pointing to the portal. "It followed Genie in. It's here." Aladdin found his own breath hitched as he heard the hiss before seeing two of the Deathseeker's limbs emerging from the portal.

 _I smell your blood, Prince of Agrabah. Death awaits you, as do I._ The Deathseeker's voice spoke directly into Aladdin's mind, leaving him frozen for a moment that was too long.

" _Al, get back!_ " Genie cried.

Even as Aladdin tried to leap out of the path of one of the limbs that lunged at him, he wasn't prepared for the second limb. Genie managed to wrestle the first away, tying it into a large, spiny knot that couldn't wiggle free. But at the same moment, the second limb bit into Aladdin's arm with its razor sharp teeth.

" _Genie!_ " Aladdin yelled as the Deathseeker's limb pulled him quickly towards the portal.


	12. Chapter 12: Healer

**Chapter 12: Healer**

Ezele knew what needed to be done and spared no time voicing it. " _Genie_ \- the portal should kick in soon. We need the Deathseeker's limb to let go of his arm or it'll drag Aladdin with it!"

Genie was quick to act. He used his magic to create a large steel mallet that hit the Deathseeker's 2nd limb, much like playing whack-a-mole, with a firm hit on the limb's head. The limb hissed, its jaws releasing Aladdin's arm just as the portal's magic barrier kicked in. It sent the two limbs of the Deathseeker flying back through the portal where they came in, while Aladdin was thrown in the opposite direction. Genie caught Aladdin before he could hit the ground, softening what would've been a painful blow.

"Saved by the magic barrier, I guess. Kid, you're...not okay, are you?" Genie asked, concern furrowing his brow.

Aladdin's breath came in hisses through his teeth, his bitten arm and sleeve covered with blood. Aladdin's instinct was to cover the wound with his good hand, even as Genie helped him sit upright, but Ezele stopped him.

"Let me help." Ezele's voice was gentle, but firm. Aladdin relented, his jaw still clenched. Ezele knelt beside Aladdin, studying the wound and careful not to aggravate Aladdin's injuries more than they already were. "Looks like a bite that didn't go as deep as we feared. Still, bloody mess. I've got just the thing for it."

Aladdin and Genie watched as Ezele treated Aladdin's wound with a strange looking bottle of liquid and some of the leaves that Aladdin recognized. When Ezele put the bandage over his wound, Aladdin realized that the pain in his arm lessened gradually, up to a point where he could feel a dull ache.

"You'll need to leave that bandage on," Ezele said with a nod, signaling he was done. "The wound's closed now, but you'll still have bruising and won't be able to use that arm to swim for a while. I suppose that works against our plan of getting out of here."

Aladdin found his voice. "How...how was it able to heal so quickly? That bottle...?"

"...Contains a fluid collected from one of the plants I grew," Ezele finished. "You could call it science, you could call it magic, you could call it a mix of the two. The plant and its seeds mostly grow in the soil around Gloloria. Thankfully when I arrived here, the survivors with me had some with them. Still..."

Ezele couldn't finish the sentence as he looked away from Genie and Aladdin, getting to his feet.

Much to Genie's protest, Aladdin stood, following Ezele before he could walk too far away. "Wait, Ezele - you tried to save the people who saved you, didn't you? And...the treatment didn't work, did it?"

Ezele turned to look over his shoulder at Aladdin, his expression somber. "Indeed. All the magic in the world can't save anyone if the injuries make them too far beyond help. The Deathseeker bears its name for good reason."

Aladdin's own expression mirrored Ezele's. "I'm so sorry. But still...the Deathseeker killed those people, not you. You shouldn't blame yourself for their loss, especially since you did everything you could."

Genie frowned. "Guys, I think we still need to figure out a way to get out of here before the demon-god decides to come back through."

Aladdin and Ezele both went quiet, lost in thought for a long while. None of them spoke or made a sound until Aladdin snapped his fingers, his expression brightening. "I think we may have one shot at getting out of here, and also for defeating the Deathseeker for good."

Ezele's jaw dropped. "You came up with a plan that quickly?"

"Well, one part of it at least. I definitely know the first part will work, but the second part might take a while. Genie, what time of day is it outside right now?"

Genie frowned. "The sun was out, but not much. I'm guessing early/mid-morning, but it was hard to see too far up to the surface."

"That gives us some time then. Anyway, think about it, Ezele - remember when I stepped right up to the portal and put my hand through it? Genie was coming in from the other side. I wonder if when The Deathseeker tries to come through again, we can get out of here just before the magic barrier kicks in."

Genie's grin was wide. "That IS a good plan."

"True, but one of us needs to distract the limbs long enough for it to work. They could easily try to block us if they know we're going through at the same time they're entering," Ezele said. "I have some materials to fend them off. The limbs are afraid of fire."

"I could do it." Aladdin said, with only a moment's hesitation. "I can definitely find a way to distract them. The Deathseeker seems to have it in for me as a target of its hatred."

Genie's brow furrowed. "Uh, Al - I don't think you're in any condition to fight off the Deathseeker's limbs by yourself. Understatement of the millenia."

"I won't have to for long because of the second part of the plan. You're coming back for me as soon as you get Ezele back to shore and to the village. Ezele will go back and tell Gloloria's villagers to get as many flaming arrows and swords as they can and launch an attack. Ezele's the only one who can do it. If anyone can convince Arzin to help in anything...he won't listen to me." Aladdin turned to Ezele. "That's why I need to stay. Genie can come back for me when the time is right."

Ezele sighed. "I suppose the only way I can convince my brother that I'm still living is to see him in the flesh. All right. I suppose in escaping from here, as long as you stay a distance from the portal, you should be fine."

"Sounds like a plan," Aladdin turned back to Genie. "Once we all get up to the surface, the villagers can unload with everything they have in the hottest part of the day - don't let the Deathseeker get to the water unless it's as weakened as it was before. We can probably lure it back down here to the portal somehow. And if it's too weak to resist, we could probably trap it in this dimension through the portal."

Ezele nodded after hearing the plan in full. "That's smart, Aladdin. Admittedly good in theory. Though one issue remains - I don't think a former sky god would have trouble getting out of this portal by brute force."

Genie gave a salute. "Leave that to me, I might have a spell or two that could seal the demon in here if we can trick him down here. That portal's magic is about as old as I am. Just gotta remember what spell it was."

"You can consider it while we prepare," Ezele said, giving a small smile to Aladdin at the confirmation of their plan. "Follow me."

* * *

"You're wasting your time," Arzin said, seeing the Princess of Agrabah emerge from the water, raking wet strands of her hair back with her fingers. The sun was fully out, not quite as high as the sky as it could get, but enough to shine on the clear, calm waters of the outskirts beach of Gloloria. Carpet appeared hostile to Arzin, shaking his knobs at the man, but Jasmine made a motion for him to back off. Carpet did so reluctantly.

Jasmine folded her arms across her chest. "I don't think I am. Believe what you want, I'm not resting until I know what happened to Aladdin and Genie."

Arzin snorted, his lip turning up in a sneer. "You're doing nothing that I haven't done when my brother's body was dragged out to sea. Searching will do you no good. Fighting the thing that killed your husband will."

"Vengeance, you mean? You might claim I search because of emotion, but you're worse for seeing everything through a veil of hatred."

Arzin ignored her. "You would rather find your husband's mangled body then? In that case, I should help you search. Then you and your companions can _leave_. You should've never come here to begin with." He stepped forward, just a hot breath's distance from her. Jasmine had the urge to step back, afraid he might grab her, but she stood her ground.

"What is WRONG with you?" Jasmine snapped, but even as she looked into his eyes, she noticed something odd in Arzin's gaze, something about his eyes that she hadn't noticed before. It was like his eyes were red at one point, a light that suddenly switched off as soon as she noticed it.

 _Genie had said there was a certain energy around Arzin he sensed just before he attacked Aladdin._ _I wonder if it has anything to do with the Deathseeker_ , she thought. She recalled Aladdin's words the night when Arzin had nearly attacked him.

 _"His anger...isn't natural. I-I know it sounds crazy, but during that whole conversation, before you guys came in, something about Arzin seemed off."_

Jasmine knew Arzin's hatred was real, down to the sneer he gave her. But she couldn't place why it seemed in one moment he wanted to hurt them and push them away, and others he appeared to reluctantly trust them, even help them.

Before Jasmine could say anything else, Carpet had broken the moment by launching himself at Arzin, covering the man's face and forcing him to back away from Jasmine. Arzin let out a growl, attempting to yank Carpet off, but clearly struggling with his injured arm as his handicap.

"Carpet, _stop it!_ You're _not_ helping!" Jasmine warned, but even with an injured arm, Arzin was able to unsheathe the sword on his back with his good hand. He managed to wrestle from under Carpet, using the sword to stab Carpet to the sands, pinning him to the ground. Carpet appeared to stiffen, as if hurt by the blade. Jasmine felt panic rise at her friend's apparent injury, though she knew Carpet couldn't die from a simple impalement.

"Considering your magic rug started that fight, it's due what it deserves." Arzin said with a harsh sneer. He turned back to Jasmine. "I will not warn you again, Princess. Unless you would like to meet the same fate."

"Leave her _alone!_ " A voice called from a distance. Jasmine hadn't even noticed someone else had observed their exchange, but she noticed the girl just as Arzin's harsh expression fell.

Miza stood a fair distance away, her fists clenched as tight as her jaw, her eyes brimming with tears. "What gives you the right to threaten people who only want to _help you_? Miza knows this isn't you!"

"Stay out of this, Miza. This isn't your fight," Arzin said dismissively, but his voice was more firm than venomous, unlike the tone he'd taken with Jasmine just moments before.

"You're hurting Princess Jasmine and her friend!"

"Miza...I'm not going to warn you again, stay out of this."

Miza wasn't showing any signs of backing down. Her words came out in a furious flurry as tears streamed down her face. "You don't care about the people who are trying to help, even though you still chase after the sea demon over and over again. You don't care about the village anymore. You keep getting hurt and Miza's worried that one of these days you won't come home. You weren't there when Mama wouldn't wake up after the attack. You're the reason that Papa's dead, because he went after you the day he died. And now you're the reason Prince Aladdin's dead! When will it STOP?!"

Miza's final words echoed through the breeze along the beach. For a moment, none of them spoke. Jasmine froze in place, her hands shaking even in the light breeze. _Poor Miza, she was holding all of that in - that's hard on someone as young as she is._

Arzin had been so stunned by the words of his niece that for a moment, he looked both guilty and heartbroken. It was the first time Jasmine had even seen him as conflicted in the time she'd met him. Yet something in his face twisted, anguish went to anger, anger turned into...panic?

When Arzin suddenly collapsed, it surprised Jasmine, Carpet, and Miza all at once.

"Arzin? Arzin, what's wrong?" Jasmine said, rushing to his side but stopping short as his face turned towards hers, his eyes blazing with red in the irises.

" _Stay away from me!_ " Arzin growled. "Don't come any closer." He gripped his arm, his expression twisted in pain. His breaths came in sharp pants that made it clear he was struggling with something, but Jasmine wasn't sure what. Carpet was quicker to pull Jasmine back from where Arzin knelt on the ground, flying protectively in front of her as if to shield her.

"Uncle Arzin?" Miza's voice was quiet.

Arzin appeared to be speaking to someone...something that the three of them couldn't hear for most of the conversation except for one phrase. "I am _nothing_ like you." His voice trailed off as he slumped to the sand, his eyes rolling back into his head.

Jasmine rushed to his side just as Miza did. Neither of them knew what to say.

"Is he going to be okay, Princess?" Miza said, her voice small as she knelt at Arzin's motionless body on the shoreline.

Jasmine sighed. "I wish I could say one way or the other - I don't know what's wrong with him, Miza. What I do know is that the Deathseeker must have some hold on him. We'll have to find a way to break its influence."

Arzin's eyes shot open at that moment, staring hard into Jasmine's with an intensity that stunned her to silence. The pupils of his eyes were rimmed with a red glow. His voice held a tone that mimicked both Arzin's and the Deathseeker's, echoing with a sneering laugh. "You are wrong, Princess. Arzin acts of his own will with my influence - it is his innermost wishes of anger, hatred, and disgust - for you and your so called heroic husband. Since you seek to destroy a part of him - the flames of his vengeance, he will destroy you. Since he and I share the same wish, I'll grant him the power to accomplish his will. It is my ability as a god."

" _Jasmine!_ " Miza screamed, but Jasmine couldn't react fast enough as Arzin's hands locked around her wrists in a vice-like grip. The last thing she remembered before her world faded to black was her body feeling white hot with sharp, overwhelming pain.

Like she'd been struck by a thousand lightning bolts.


End file.
